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EDITORIAL

FOMO makes way for FOOP in property market

PUBLISHER Pawan Luthra EDITOR Rajni Anand Luthra ASSISTANT EDITOR Neha Malude MELBOURNE COORDINATOR Preeti Jabbal CONTRIBUTORS Natasha Jha Bhaskar, Reeti Pandharipande, Aparna Ananthuni, Dipanjali Rao, Sydney Srinivas, Astha Singh, Minal Khona ADVERTISING MANAGER Sukesh Thapliyal 0410 578 146 ADVERTISING ASSISTANT Charuta Joshi 02 9279 2004

Indian Link is a fortnightly newspaper published in English. No material, including advertisements designed by Indian Link, may be reproduced in part or in whole without the written consent of the editor. Opinions carried in Indian Link are those of the writers and not necessarily endorsed by Indian Link. All correspondence should be addressed to:

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NATIONAL EDITION

BY PAWAN LUTHRA

T

here are two investment sayings which have weathered the test of time, one being that whatever goes up, will come down. In hindsight, one might well be talking about nature and physics rather than cold, hard economic reality. The other saying is that when your cab driver (or Uber driver these days) starts giving you investment advice about a particular product, it is time to sell that product.

Not that taxi or Uber drivers are not savvy people; it’s just their wisdom may have been acquired by talking to many people, rather than technical research and analysis.

Property prices in most capital cities of Australia seem to be on the way down and there seems to be little in the way of holding back this slide. Buyers

who twelve months ago were rushing in to buy due to a Fear Of Missing Out (FOMO) now seem to be worried about the Fear Of Over Paying (FOOP).

Investment decisions are normally propelled by fear or greed and at this time, vendors are still motivated by high valuations of the past and their greed to get that value, while buyers are fearful of paying too much and are holding off their decisions. It seems that the buyers are winning.

In the latest figures, Sydney’s auction clearance rate fell to about 50 per cent, while in Melbourne it was about 62 per cent, both well below recent highs.

Interestingly, clearance rates for Adelaide and Brisbane were higher than a year ago. The property market which has seen positive growth for over seven years, is now facing some headwinds.

For the Indian Australian who has migrated here in the last few years and rushed into acquiring property, they may well have to get used to reports of falling prices over the next few months as banks tighten their controls, overseas investors

dry up and generally the steam goes out of the market. If their purchase is for residential purposes, they need to think long term and go with the flow. For those who have borrowed to invest, they may find their banks looking more closely at their loans and they need to make sure that their cash flow is secure, and that they have built up some equity in their property so that any downward pressure on valuation does not leave them short.

If you are a migrant looking to buy, then hold your nerve. Economic indicators are pointing to an extended time of downward pressure on property valuations. Currently properties are not selling quickly, sellers have started to discount, and real estate agents are working harder to achieve a sale.

It is a matter of time before better opportunities to buy start emerging. Of course, as Indian Australians, we do love a bargain. When you feel that the time is right to buy but need verification, do take a few Uber rides. If your friendly driver says it is not the best time to be buying, you know what to do.

JUNE (1) 2018 5

CONTENTS SPECIAL FEATURES HEALTH Getting tested for Hep C

17

ART Gunjit Kaur presents at VIVID

18

PEOPLE Cycling addict Priya Singh

21

FESTIVAL Ramadan fasting

28

17

18

COVER STORY FOOD Wonder nut walnut

37

21

37

How well do you know your money?

10

Bella Vista 8883 0055 Castle Hill 9659 6433 Auburn 0470 687 768 Bankstown 0477 053 053 Blacktown 9621 7711 Campsie 9789 2676 Chatswood 9411 4564 Eastwood 9874 8801 Epping 9869 8002 Girraween 0469 872 857 Gordon 0433 422 499 Gosford 0411 332 209 Hornsby 9987 2248 Lidcombe 8034 4635 Liverpool 9601 0963 Merrylands 0481 752 073 Newington 9648 0377 Parramatta 0410 783 260 Pennant Hills 0411 305 516 Revesby 0451 577 008 Ryde 0490 088 626 Strathfield 9764 2002

M

Pennant erry Op la Hills en nd n e p s O

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JUNE (1) 2018 7

YOUR SAY

FUNDRAISER

SYDNEY BIENNALE

NEHA MALUDE reviewed Sosa Joseph’s works at the ongoing Biennale Emie Roy wrote: It was during a peaceful amble in the Museum of Contemporary Art gazing at the installations of Sydney’s 21st Biennale that I came across Sosa Joseph’s paintings. The costumes worn by the subjects, the festivities portrayed, all seemed to come from a place close to my heart - my homeland Kerala. As I went to check out the curator’s note, it was a pleasant surprise to see that she is an artist from my own hometown.

I got in touch with Sosa through my old contacts, and we had a warm conversation on SBS Malayalam. A down-to-earth woman who sounded very content with what life has given her, she readily shed her inhibitions whilst elaborating about her art and her struggles in life as a woman and an artist.

Her paintings, most of which are in pastel colours, are said ‘to exist in a space between reality and fantasy’. However, they illustrate the cross section of life itself. It was in no way surprising that I could identify my homeland in her works. “I take inspiration from where I live,” explained Sosa to me. “I live in a coastal town Kochi, and my subjects are people and things that I see every day. Anything from the fish in the pot to the household workers to performers could become my subjects, and I depict the commonality which is very fulfilling to me.” And yet these very images of home and of life around her, have taken her to the world, to exhibitions in Paris, USA, Netherlands, Japan, and now in Sydney. Interestingly, she also spoke of her conservative background, where women took on conventional roles. “But I could dream – didn’t need anyone’s permission for that!” She held on to her dreams, and became the woman and the artist she is today.

INDIAN LINK recently sponsored a gala event by the Better Foundation Gala to help raise funds for Mt Druitt and Blacktown Hospitals.

Usha Kiran wrote: Hi Rajni Luthra. Great speech at the Better Foundation Gala Dinner last night. Appreciated your words on Kumars and Singhs.

Coming from Surrey BC Canada, it’s all about Singhs there!

INDIAN LINK ONLINE

RK Ram wrote: Would it be possible to add a ‘print’ feature to the articles on your enewspaper? There are some good pieces worthy of preserving for future reference.

Editor replies: Thank you, Ram. You can go to the website www.indianlink. com.au and open our e-paper. Just scroll ahead to whichever page you want.

On top centre, there’s an arrow. Hover your mouse over it and you will see a ‘Print’ icon. Click on it and it’ll print a default A4 page for you. Hope this helps.

INDIAN LINK ON INSTAGRAM

Chinmay Sohoni shared a picture of Indian Link on his Insta account @ chinmaysohoni: Excellent new edition of Indian Link.

Wonderful pictures of the beautiful city of Sydney #indianlink

TAKE A BOW, AUNTY JI!

Our reader Rashmi Malhotra wrote in to compliment Aunty ji: I would like to compliment your Auntyji who responds to people’s questions. Can I ask who she is because she is just about the most hilarious, witty, intelligent person I have come across. In fact, that’s the one article that I almost unfailingly start my reading of your paper with. Do pass on my regards and compliments to her.

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WHERE IN INDIA?

#WanderlustWednesday | We asked where in India you would find sculptures made out of recycled materials.

Vandana Saini and Sivee Bhatia correctly answered Rock Garden in Chandigarh. Good guess, guys!

“When you are there (in Australia) you don’t know whether to be Australian or Indian. When you come home you are a ‘desi’ girl and when you go out you are trying to be an Australian.”

Anusha Dandekar, Indian media personality who grew up in Australia and moved to India in 2002

We’re shocked to be saying farewell to @LokiCooks, the first contestant in #MasterChefAU history to ever go home *with* an Immunity Pin Masterchef AU on Loki Madireddi, who was recently eliminated

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COVER STORY

MONEY MATTER$ You work for your money, but does your money work for you? As the financial year comes to a close, we ask the question, how well do you know your money?

W

hat comes to mind when you think of the word ‘money’? Issues like ‘salary’, ‘bills’ and ‘expenses’ are possibly the most common, right? Perhaps ‘security’ too, since so many of us associate it with a constant income. Ideas that probably don’t come to mind as often (as they should) are ‘spending habits’, ‘emergency fund’, ‘retirement plans’ – you get the idea.

Whatever the reason, the general consensus is that we are simply not as financially literate as we

should be. That’s not to say that we are completely ignorant about financial matters, but do we truly understand how we can manage our money better?

And if not, how can we change that?

The obvious answer and the first step is to start talking about it. Talk about what you are doing with your money, where you keep your savings (do you have any?); do you keep track of how much you spend or save; talk about your debt options to reduce it and talk about your superannuation options to grow it; talk about what your financial goals are over

the short term, medium term and long term.

Don’t neglect retirement goals. What sort of lifestyle do you want in retirement – are you going to relax at home or travel around the world? How financially secure do you envision your (and your family’s) life to be if something were to happen to the income earners in the house?

If you haven’t thought about these questions, now is the time. Indian Link speaks to some people in different phases of life on how they plan their financial life.*

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ RECENT IMMIGRANTS Chinmay Sohoni (Business Analyst), Neha (Journalist) and Vivaan

How long before you found gainful employment?

Luckily, I (Chinmay) landed a job before I arrived here. We’d decided early on that both of us coming here without jobs (that too with a year-old kid) was simply out of the question.

Was it a challenge to avoid converting dollar into INR for every purchase?

Yes, a big one. We were constantly converting AUD into rupees and at first it was shocking that a kilo of potatoes costs $3 whereas in India, it is Rs.20-30! You

have to make a very conscious effort to tune that out.

How do you plan your cash flow (income and expenses)? Do you use a budget planner?

We don’t use a budget planner. Our budgeting is pretty ad-hoc. For instance, if we bought a fridge last month, then there’d be no major buys for the next two months at least.

Do you make financial decisions together as a couple? If not, who does? Did you both decide this is the best option for you?

I tend to make most of the decisions, but I do consult with Neha.

Do you have separate bank accounts or joint?

Yes, we’ve always had separate bank accounts, actually. Not deliberately, but it’s just been the case always. But it has worked well for us, because whatever I earn is used for household expenditures and Neha’s earnings go towards savings.

How do you resolve conflict when it comes to money?

The best thing to do in most cases is to find a middle path. In other cases, the main question is, ‘do we really need this now?’

If you could cut back on one frivolous expense, what would that be?

Our most frivolous expense is probably eating out, so I suppose we would cut back on that.

What is your plan B in case you can’t work? Do you have an emergency fund, or insurance policies to help out?

At one point, we were in a financial slump.

We didn’t have an emergency fund per se, but some savings back home (fixed deposits). Luckily, we didn’t need to dip into those. But yes, it has definitely made us create one, should such a situation ever arise again.

Is your lifestyle different here in Australia than in India? Are you financially better off or worse?

Definitely different! I won’t say we are worse off – but we were definitely better off in India. Mainly because we’ve kind of

had to start from scratch here. Our lifestyle was possibly more lavish back home, here we’re a little more cautious about money.

Household help is affordable in India, here, it’s unthinkable!

Are your financial decisions based on what your family taught you, what your friends tell you, or your own research?

My own research with a little advice from parents.

Do you financially support family in India?

No, both our parents are retired government officials so they’re selfsufficient.

Do you set money aside for your son’s education? Are you aware there are tax effective ways to provide for their education?

No, we haven’t really gotten there yet!

How will you teach your son about working with money? Vivaan is only two at the moment. But we do plan to give him pocket money – in return for household chores like grocery shopping or doing the laundry. It’s how I was raised too.

Have you thought about wills?

Unfortunately, no. We have maybe had one discussion about having a will made but it hasn’t materialised into anything concrete.

From 2 July onwards there is a new Childcare Subsidy that is means tested. Do you understand this fully and how it may impact you?

I do know that there’s a new childcare subsidy program but no, sadly we haven’t taken a proper look into it.

*Disclaimer: This article is meant for editorial purposes only and not intended as financial advice. Please seek expert opinion for your money matters.

10 JUNE (1) 2018

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don’t touch.

If you could cut back on one frivolous expense, what would that be?

Coffee, eating out and dating.

Though dating isn’t frivolous, I have it down to an art form.

Do you send money back home?

Or vice versa?

No. Though I did when I was paying back my student loan.

Have you thought about acquiring property before settling into a long-term relationship?

I’m not sure there’s a relationship between acquiring property and a long-term relationship? I would always recommend that women, especially, maintain independent

because it’s very likely that I will.

Do you deal with your finances differently as compared to your non-Indian friends? How does it differ?

I’m not sure I spend money similar to most Indians; my life is quite different to most Indian women/people my age.

I’m single, and spend way more money on coffee, dumplings and in Bunnings than I should.

When choosing a job or career, which is more important: job satisfaction or income? Has this always been so?

For me, it is more about an opportunity rather than satisfaction as such. I would

you spend too much?

I spend too much. I should just cut my credit card up and throw it away.

Do you use any tax saving methods? Are you aware of them?

Nope. I don’t spend any time thinking about tax, other than getting my tax return done.

Tips and tricks you use to curb expenses and stop spending and start saving?

Leave the credit card at home or skip one altogether. Do a budget and identify where you spend most money. Coffee, eating out, buying unnecessary stuff seems cheap but adds up in the

SINGLE WOMAN Dipanjali Rao (Digital product manager)

What are your financial goals?

To have a comfortable retirement; have enough money to deal with health problems.

How do you plan your cash flow (income and expenses)? Do you use a budget planner?

I do a budget in Excel. I take a

look at it once in a while, though I should manage my budget more actively than I do.

What is your Plan B in case you can’t work? Do you have an emergency fund, or insurance policies to help out?

I have savings put aside that I

financial stability irrespective of whether they’re in a relationship or not.

Will you discuss money matters with a prospective partner?

Will their attitude to money be an important consideration?

Absolutely. I’d need a long-term partner to be reasonably financially secure with the ability to take care of himself. I’d also want him not to have any hangups about me earning more,

definitely turn down more money if the organisation offering the role violated my personal ethics.

I’ve not actively thought about earning more money, but I have been privileged in a way that the work that I do is financially well compensated, so I don’t have to choose between the two.

Do you use your credit card as a tool for getting by during the month (repaying it at the end) or do you accumulate debt because

end. Check your bank account regularly: it gives you a sense of control over how much you’re spending, and you can correct the course you’re on instead of realising it after you’ve spent too much. It’s good advice that I should follow more closely.

What do you understand about wills or estate planning?

Do they allow you to will stuff to your cats? I should find out. On a serious note, no I don’t.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ How do you plan your cash flow (income and expenses)? Do you use a budget planner?

The first thing I learnt was, no matter how much we say money is not important, at the end of the day we all need it to live a decent life and pay our bills. I plan my budget meticulously. Top of the page is my monthly income and down below are the expenses.

After noting down all the bills and direct debits, I also note my petrol expenses, grocery, daily coffee money, medicines, extra unknown expense (always put aside $200) plus I have my savings.

Does your ex-partner support you financially?

No, never has, never will.

SINGLE PARENT Do you think women should learn more about managing their finances?

Let my life experience be a lesson to all women out there. Yes, it is very important for all women to be aware of their finances and to manage them. From someone who had never dealt with money matters, to have to learn to budget even for the smallest daily expense, has been quite a journey.

But it’s a journey that has made me stronger and more aware financially.

NATIONAL EDITION

When my ex-husband just took off (he was untraceable), I had no clue of where to start. In today’s world, if women can go out and work full time, they should also be fully aware of their financial situation. This is the first step to independence. When women say “I have no idea of our finances, my husband does it all” I don’t think this is something to be proud of. Know your finances and be in control of your own life.

What is your Plan B in case you can’t work? Do you have an emergency fund, or insurance policies to help out?

Unfortunately, no insurance policy but I do have some extra

about thinking for the future, ensuring that I keep something aside for my old age, and having that extra bit for the unknown. I overcome this challenge by being responsible with my money. I live within my means and have never felt like I am depriving myself.

Tips and tricks you use to curb expenses and stop spending/start saving?

I never deprive myself of small pleasures. Always keep some money aside for catch-ups with friends or an occasional movie/ dinner night. Never over-do what you can’t afford. Every week, I take out $50 as my own pocket money. I keep it aside and it surprises me when it all

Jyotika (Joy) Singh (Credit recovery manager) money in my home loan in case I need it for emergency reasons.

Name one financial challenge you face often. How do you overcome it?

When my boys were younger and at school, it used to be extra expenses like school camps or even just buying them sports gear. But I always budgeted for it and had some extra money end of the month stacked away. Now that the boys have grown up and are both working, the challenges are different. Now it’s more

adds up in a few months. I am not a shopaholic. I buy clothes/ shoes when I need to. I have thinned out my cupboards and don’t hoard. It is such a satisfying feeling.

Did you set money aside for your kids’ education?

When my boys were younger, yes, I always set money aside for their education. Both my boys went to TAFE and took HECS. I think it’s a brilliant system that teaches our children to be more responsible and to value their money.

Are you wishes for the kids written down somewhere?

I do have a Will done up by a lawyer. I just feel this is so important. Life is unpredictable and it’s always good to be prepared.

What did you teach your children about working with money?

My boys used to get pocket

money when they were younger but not a lot - $20 a fortnight.

They would save it up to buy an Xbox game or something. Now that they are both working, they too respect their money and only spend within their means. It makes me very proud to say that neither of them owns a credit card.

JUNE (1) 2018 11

COVER STORY What kind of investments do you have and how often do you review them? Do you manage them yourself, or with a professional’s help?

We do have a couple of investments in real estate, and we review them as per the market to sell or to add on. Given I’m in the profession, it’s easy.

Do you make financial decisions together as a couple. If not, who makes them?

Did you both decide this is the best option for you?

I (Ash) do the research and discusses everything with Manisha. We talk about all the possible outcomes and then jointly make decisions.

Do you financially support family in India?

Yes, we do.

What do you teach your children about working with money?

The best way to teach children about money is to give them responsibility for it. So our kids have their own bank

YOUNG FAMILY Ash Isaacs (Mortgage Broker), Manisha (Childcare compliance) and kids Aman, Aamish, Zaron accounts. It’s good for them because they get an idea of how banking works and how they should save or spend.

What are your thoughts on HECS? It is incredibly useful for parents. We don’t have to worry ourselves sick about paying exorbitant fees. And a huge advantage is that the children are learning to pay back what they borrowed.

What do you understand about Wills or

Estate Planning? Do you think having a will is a smart choice?

All parents, whatever their economic standing, should have a will in place that protects their children with their share.

Tips and tricks you use to curb expenses

and stop spending / start saving?

Our mantra is to spend on what’s needed.

(And for me to not let go of Manisha’s hand at the shopping centre!)

Do you think about retiring in Australia?

Yes, this is home now.

Have you made retirement plans or discussed the funding of your retirement plans?

Yes we have, and if it all goes as planned, we could enjoy the same lifestyle as we do today.

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ about planning finances, what would it be?

Start thinking about your financial journey early on. Better to get a foot into the property market by buying wherever you can afford, and then upgrade later on.

If you had stayed on in India, would you have been financially better off or worse?

My cohort at Roorkee University, nearly all of who went on to great jobs such as professors in university, retired at 58-60 as is the norm in India. Pensions there have gone up significantly

expenses and stop spending / start saving?

Firstly, don’t overdo anything.

Second, plan well. For instance for my travel trips I plan six months in advance. I’m off to Nepal and Bhutan in September, but it is all booked and planned.

What are your thoughts on wills and estate planning?

I have a fair bit of experience on this, both here and in India. I’ve had to intervene in a major way to help one of my closest and earliest Aussie friends here. His life was in shambles in his old age; he lost

RETIRED COUPLE Dr Tilak Kalra (Retd Chemical Engineer, Acupuncturist) and Bindu

Would you say you’ve achieved your financial goals?

Yes, I think I have achieved my financial goals reasonably well.

I’m 78 years old and continue to work, but only because it gives me much joy. I came to this country in my late 20s to do a PhD at Monash University. I worked as a chemical engineer in Canberra and in Sydney and retired from full-time work in 1997. A few years before that, I stumbled onto acupuncture as a means to treat

12 JUNE (1) 2018

a neck problem. I took it up with a passion, studied it, and have been working part-time since my retirement as an acupuncturist.

Somewhere along the line I made a decent investment in property which worked well.

Do you rely on Australian pension, or are you self-funded?

It’s a combination of Super, part pension, and my own work.

Did you plan your retirement in detail?

Not really, it all just happened, but

luckily it happened well. I did not ever think I would be working as an acupuncturist in my retirement, but I have had repeat clients, some of them for eight years.

Are you dependent on your children for financial support?

No. Both our sons are financially well-settled. Both did brilliantly at uni, went on to rewarding careers and have made excellent financial decisions for their own families.

If you had to give one piece of advice to the younger generation

now and they are all quite comfortable. Would I have been better off financially? It’s hard for me to say, but I reckon I would have been ok.

Are you ok with splurging now and then on luxuries like travel?

Most definitely. Bindu and I enjoy our travel twice a year, sometimes three times. Just got back from Mongolia! I’ve now travelled to every continent except Antarctica, and am looking forward to going there – even though I’ve been to the Arctic Circle.

Tips and tricks you use to curb

his wife and only child and then made some poor decisions in his dementia (or had them made for him by supposed carers). It took a court case and many hours on my part to sort that out. And then in India, issues from own my family property settlements taught me many lessons. Today Bindu and I have a will, which we prepared ourselves but had a lawyer look through and fine-tune.

Both our boys have seen it and fully understand all the intricacies involved. I think it is very, very important to have this sorted out.

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SINGLE MAN Sumit Sharma (IT Project Manager) What are your financial goals?

I’d like to start a property portfolio to generate income once I’m retired. This starts with one house and by the time I’m 40, I want to have at least two properties – I’d also like to invest in property back home in India. Another one of my goals is to have a healthy Super account which will help provide income in retirement.

How do you plan your cash flow (income and expenses)?

Do you use a budget planner?

I budget every month. I know what my usual expenses are so I set money aside for those at the beginning. I also keep a buffer amount for any unexpected expenditures and whatever remains in the end goes straight into my savings account. I use an app called budget expense report where I key in my income and expenses and that tells me how much I’ll end up saving after a certain amount of time.

It’s a good planning tool.

Do you have an emergency fund?

Yes, I do. I created one by taking certain things into account: my parents’ medical expenses, any unanticipated health expenses I might have, unplanned travel

to India, or if I lose my job – there should be enough in the emergency fund to take care of any or all of these things.

Do you send money back home?

Yes, I do. I contribute towards my parents’ healthcare. I also send them money now and then for them to travel someplace.

It’s not a lot, but I like to do something for them when I can, especially when they’ve done so much for me.

Have you thought about acquiring property before settling into a long-term relationship?

Last year, I had been thinking about buying a unit, but I really didn’t like the designs so I put the idea on hold. Now that I’m 34, I don’t know if getting a ‘bachelor pad’ makes any practical sense, so I’ve decided to buy a house after I get married.

Will you discuss money matters with a prospective partner?

Will their attitude to money be an important consideration?

Yes, I would like to discuss money matters with a prospective partner. I think transparency with regards to money is especially important in a relationship. That way, we’ll both understand each other’s

attitudes towards money as well.

I’d like to give my partner an idea of my financial situation – my liabilities, loans, etc. It’s only fair to give her a heads up! And of course, her attitude to money is an important consideration, I would want to make sure she fits into my plans as well as I do in hers, right?

When choosing a job or career, which is more important: job satisfaction or income?

Job satisfaction, without a doubt.

I need a job that motivates me to get out of bed every morning. It’s not that money isn’t important, but what’s the point of earning money if it takes the joy out of everyday life?

Do you use your credit card as a tool for getting by during the month (repaying it at the end) or do you accumulate debt because you spend too much?

I used to use my credit card to spend, but not anymore. Now I use it as a fall back for any unexpected expenses. And I keep a cap of $3,000 on it.

Do you use any tax saving methods? Are you aware of them?

As a self-employed person, I can put some expenses through my business which helps with

cash flow. Make sure you have a good bookkeeper or accountant who can advise you! I also make additional contributions to Super on a pre-tax basis. This helps grow your super AND save in tax. And lastly, I use many of the tax concessions available in Australia to reduce my taxable

income, like donating to charities like World Vision and UNICEF. Tips and tricks you use to curb expenses and stop spending and start saving?

I’m a bit of an impulsive shopper, so I just try to weigh what I need against what I want. It’s pretty much the only trick I have!

$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ YOUNG FAMILY Mohan Singh (IT professional), Anubhuti (Business Analyst) and Atharv

How do you plan your cash flow (income and expenses)? Do you use a budget planner?

We use Excel sheets to plan our upcoming expenses and prioritise them as per the need of our family.

How do you resolve conflict when it comes to money?

For us, what works is that both of us have the power of veto to negate any expense. So any expense we make is a mutual decision. This especially helps

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when we have to cut down on extra expenses. It also puts us in perspective of our priorities.

Do you make financial decisions together as a couple? If not, who does? Did you both decide this is the best option for you?

We take all our financial decisions jointly and so far it is working well for us.

Do you have separate bank accounts or joint? Why or why not?

We have separate bank accounts since each one of us handles different payments. But both our accounts are offset accounts and we have passwords to each other’s accounts.

Have you thought about wills?

We recently met with a Financial Planner and are in the process of putting a will in place.

What is your Plan B in case you can’t work? Do you have an emergency fund, or insurance

policies to help out?

We do have an emergency fund which we won’t touch under any circumstances for day-to-day expenses or even out-of-the-blue ones. Also, Mohan has income protection to keep us afloat in case things go south (touch wood)!

If you could cut back on one frivolous expense, what would that be?

Shopping for homeware. Both of us love decorating our home and we keep buying stuff wherever we go!

How different is your lifestyle here as compared to when you were in India? Are you financially better off or worse?

We are at a different stage in life now than when we were in India. We did not have a child then so it was definitely different.

Financially, we feel that we are the same as we were back in India.

Are your financial decisions based on what your family taught you, what your friends are doing, or your own research?

We continue to learn. Our base was definitely built by our families but we continue to evolve by

doing our own research and with conversation with friends.

Do you financially support family in India?

No, we do not have to support our families back home.

Do you set money aside for your son’s education? Are you aware there are tax effective ways to provide for their education?

We haven’t set money aside for our son’s education but we have made investments for the same reason as financial investments give better returns than tax savings.

Will you teach your children about working with money?

He is only 3 so we haven’t really gotten there yet. Only recently we have started introducing him to the concept of money.

From 2 July onwards there is a new Childcare Subsidy that is means tested. Do you understand this fully and how it may impact you?

Yes, we aware about the new changes being introduced. For us it means that percentage benefit along with hours covered goes down, but the annual limit increases.

JUNE (1) 2018 13

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Care Package The New Child with children will help parents k, train, study aged 0-13 to wor or volunteer.

One new Child Care Subsidy replaces the two current child care payments.

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HEALTH Dr Puneet Mahindra

New treatment for ‘silent killer’ Doctor urges Indian community to get tested for Hep C

BY NATASHA JHA BHASKAR

I

t isn’t like any other day for 27-yearold Harinder (name changed). He has just tested positive for Hepatitis C. In the days leading up to this diagnosis, he had developed fatigue, anxiety, depression and flu-like symptoms.

Despite being treated for these, the problems persisted.

Finally, the doctor suggested that he should take a test for hepatitis C, a viral infection.

“At the moment, 250,000 people in Australia have hepatitis C, excluding the vast majority who don’t even know,” says Dr Puneet Mahindra, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist at Melbourne’s Centre for GI Health.

Not surprising, considering the viral disease rarely displays symptoms apart from general fatigue, if at all. In fact, people with hepatitis can go for decades without showing any signs of having contracted the virus.

“It is a very slow acting virus so unfortunately many people don’t even

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realise that they have it – or how they got it,” Dr Mahindra, who sees many patients with hepatitis C, explains. “It is a virus that lives in the blood and affects the liver.

If left untreated it can lead to serious liver disease or liver cancer. Unfortunately, those infected might not look or even feel sick till it is very late. That’s why it’s called a ‘silent killer’. Fortunately though, there is a simple test that can tell if you have the virus.”

And luckily for Harinder and some 3,000 others like him in the Indian community, there is a new cure in the form of tablets.

Hepatitis C is inflammation of the liver caused by the hepatitis C virus (HCV). It is a blood borne-disease and spreads through contact with infected blood.

HCV does not spread by sneezing, hugging, coughing, food or water, sharing eating utensils or drinking glasses, or casual contact.

“Most people get infected through blood transfusion,” says Dr Mahindra.

“A patient of mine contracted it after a cosmetic surgery procedure performed overseas. It was possibly a result of improper sterilisation of surgical equipment.”

The doctor adds that the numbers of hepatitis C patients are highest in the

Indian and Vietnamese community.

“Many were unaware of the virus because they were not tested for it in India. The blood transfusions were never tested for Hepatitis C before the 1990s. A lot of developing countries like India and Vietnam did not really start till quite late. In India, there are professional blood donors, who donate blood for money. Many of them have a history of IV drug use, and they have donated blood to multiple people.”

Then there’s the lack of awareness and the general stigma surrounding liver disease. “People don’t seek help until it is really late,” he laments, adding, “I encourage the community to get tested.”

Luckily, general practitioners in Australia are now able to prescribe drugs to treat hepatitis C. “The new treatments which involves tablets have virtually no side effects and have an efficiency of 95-99%,” Dr Mahindra says.

The simple, safe and effective cure is affordable as it is listed on the government’s Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS).

Dr Mahindra advises, “If you have undergone medical or dental procedures overseas, or have received blood products

or transfusions in your country of origin at a time when screening of blood for viruses was not undertaken or was poorly regulated, then get tested. Even if you don’t have any symptoms, just get yourself checked.”

See your doctor or call the National Hepatitis information line 1800 437 222.

FACTS > Hepatitis C virus is transmitted through contact with the blood of an infected person. > It can be treated using antiviral medicines > There is currently no vaccine for hepatitis C > Avoid: Unnecessary and unsafe injections, unsafe blood products, drugs and sharing injection equipment, sharing items like razors that could possibly be contaminated with infected blood, tattoos, piercing and acupuncture performed with contaminated equipment

JUNE (1) 2018 17

ART Gunjit Kaur at the Oasis installation for VIVID Sydney

Feeling the Forgotten A floral tribute to a lost generation at VIVID Sydney 2018

BY RAJNI ANAND LUTHRA

A

field of illuminated and dancing water lillies, the installation Oasis has been drawing crowds at Sydney’s Royal Botanic Gardens as part of the ongoing VIVID Festival.

It is created at the site of NSW’s permanent memorial to the Forgotten Australians, on the water feature known as Twin Ponds.

A stone plinth erected here in 2009, reads: In this place, we remember the many thousands of NSW children who grew up in care in the decades leading up to the 1990s – in orphanages, in Children’s Homes and foster homes, in institutions. We remember the lonely, the frightened, the lost, the abused – those who never knew the joy of a loving family, who suffered too often at the

18 JUNE (1) 2018

hands of a system meant to provide for their safety and wellbeing. We rejoice in their courage and strength.

The site of this lasting memorial is currently home to another – albeit temporary - tribute to those who experienced out-of-home care. The ‘lillies’ light up to piped music, and illuminate the trees above. Artificial mist adds a touch of mystery.

Created by Gunjit Kaur, James Feng and Minh Au, Oasis aims to bring out of the shadows, the experiences of Forgotten children. The neglect and abuse they faced, as well as the strength and resilience that emerged, are at the core of this work of art.

Describing the installation, Gunjit told Indian Link, “Each individual flower is a slender pipe holding a bulb. It is fragile enough to sway in the wind, but strong enough not to fall over.”

In some ways, the slender pipe also evokes the ‘thread’ that is a significant part of the Western Australian memorial to the Forgotten Australians: There is a strong thread that links the way a child is raised with the person they become in adulthood.

This memorial stands as a reminder of that thread to all who create policies that affect children.

The music for Oasis was painstakingly picked, James revealed. “There are elements of loneliness, fear, anxiety and neglect in our musical selections, as well as of joyful play in the natural environment, such as where this installation is set.”

The 20-minute mix is made up of bits from popular as well as classical music, and snippets from TV and radio shows.

The end is beautifully soothing, in the hope that there is some resolution, perhaps even peace.

And that, in essence, is the aim of this evocative piece – for viewers to experience a variety of feelings as they are urged to get into the shoes of a ‘lost’ generation of kids.

It wasn’t until 2009 that care-leavers received some solace when the then Prime Minister of Australia Kevin Rudd issued a statement of acknowledgement and apology in Parliament for their maltreatment. Today there are legal and social support services available for them and their families.

Gunjit met her artist-colleagues James and Minh at uni, where she studied architecture and engineering. The trio hope to work on other creative projects in the future.

Work on Oasis commenced late last year, she revealed, as the core team sussed out the site.

“The individual units, and there are 600 of them, were created at a warehouse,” she recounted. “The base of each flower is a glass bottle filled with sand and water, and weighing 7 kg. Yes, there was a fair bit of weight lifting to be done when they were all transported to the site!”

The bulk of the work took place in the nearly two weeks of assembly. And yet, Gunjit added, the challenges continued on location. Overnight, as installation was underway, ducks flew in and tried to land in the pool, knocking over 200 of the bottles.

“It was quite stressful and I wondered at one stage whether it would all come together, we were so tight on time. It took some quick thinking on our feet, not to mention great support from the organisers, to see us through!”

www.indianlink.com.au

Photos: William Wei

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JUNE (1) 2018 19

WHAT’S ON SPIRITUAL Sai National Education Conference 2018 Fri-Mon 8-11 June (From 6.30pm on 8th-12:30pm on 11th) A conference for the Sathya Sai Organisation in Australia to take education up as one of the key areas of service. Held at 9 Nullum St, Murwillumbah NSW 2484.

Details 0437 747 868.

Simran and Meditation Diwan Wed 13 June (6.30pm – 8.30pm) Enjoy the peaceful atmosphere and listen to diwan at Gurudwara Turramurra Sikh Temple Sydney81 kissing point road, Turramurra, NSW 2074. Details 02 9449 8253.

International Day of Yoga Sun 24 June (7.00am – 9.00am) A free session of yoga to celebrate the International Day of Yoga with suryanamaskar followed by a session of Ayurveda in Daily Life. Breakfast will be served. Please bring your own mat. At Ermington Community Centre, 8 River Rd, NSW 2115. Details 0412 202 182.

Lecture series on Ramayana June 25-29 (7.30pm – 9.00pm) A lecture series on Ramayana by Life Mastery Foundation’s Swami Angajan on mastering life. Free event, registration must. At Quakers Hill High School, 70 Lalor Rd, NSW 2763.

Details 0412 202 182.

Wellness - The Yoga way Fri 8 July (5.30pm – 7.00pm) A free workshop on the knowledge and practice of yoga tips to overcome anxiety. Gain tools to handle the mind and negative emotions. Experience deep rest with meditation. Held at Indian Cultural Centre, Indian consulate General, level 2/265 Castlereagh Street, Sydney, NSW 2000. Details 02 9223 2702.

Ayurvedic lessons Fri 6 July (7.00pm – 9.00pm) A session on using Ayurveda to manage lifestyle diseases by Dr Rajkumar Sharma. At Dundas Community Centre, NSW 2117. Details 0412 202 182.

ENTERTAINMENT Mohanlal Star Nite

To have your event listed email media@indianlink.com.au

Sat 9 June (6.00pm – 9.00pm) Mohanlal star night at Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre Sydney. Details 0470 293 581.

Bollywood Night Sat 16 June (6.30pm onwards) Bollywood night at Rendezvous, Diamond Reception Centre, 387, Guildford Rd, Guildford. Details 0433 961 500.

FESTIVAL Ramadan Eid Bazaar Sat 9 June (3.00am – 11:46am) Enjoy an evening filled with fun, shopping experiences and delicious food and beverages. At 90A Memorial Avenue, Liverpool NSW 2170. Details 0406 449 474.

Chand Raat Eid Festival Thur 14 June (3.00pm – 12.00pm) The largest multicultural celebration that marks the end of the fasting month of Ramadan and eve of the Eid-Al-Fitr in Islamic Calendar. Held at Rosehill Gardens James Ruse Dr, Rosehill, New South Wales 2142.

Details 02 9930 4000.

Blacktown Eid Festival Sun 17 June (11.00am – 6.00pm) Celebrate Eid at Blacktown Showgrounds Richmond Road, Blacktown NSW. Thousands of visitors come to this event every year to celebrate the end of Ramadan and enjoy an array of entertainment, fireworks, delicious food and family fun. Details 0401 321 070.

Eid Milan Sat 30 June (11.30am - 2:30pm) Enjoy Eid Milan with loads of games, scrumptious food, entertainment, lucky draws, photo booth and much more. Held at The Hub At Mt Druitt, The Mt Druitt Hub, Ayres Gr, Mount Druitt, NSW. Details 0470 371 605.

SENIORS AHIA Seniors catch-up Sat 9 June at Pennant Hills Community Centre, Corner Yarrara Road and Ramsay Road (in Library building), Pennant Hills Sat 16 June at Blacktown Senior Citizens Centre, 2 Gribble Place, Blacktown.

Details Tilak Kalra 0413 753 134.

Free Tech Savvy Seniors Workshop Learn basic computer skills at your local library 13 June Introduction to Internet 2 20 June Introduction to Email 27 June Introduction to Social Media AASHA at Hornsby Every second and fourth Friday of the month, 11.00am – 2.00pm. Venue Hornsby Youth and Community Centre, cnr Muriel and Burdett Sts, Hornsby, close to Hornsby Station. Programs feature yoga, music, dance, games, health and tech presentations, health checks and light lunch. Details 0412 786 569 Crows Nest Every third Wednesday of the month, 10.00am – 11.30am. Venue 2 Ernest Place, Crows Nest. Social event with free tea. Details 02 9439 5122 Dementia forum Sun 17 June (2.00pm-3.00pm) Indian Seniors Group Hornsby together with Dementia Support Group for Indian Australians and FIAN (Inc) presents a dementia education seminar at Epping Leisure and Learning Centre, 1 Chambers Court, Epping. Details Anju Mathur 0417 408 525 Hindi Classes Saturdays (2.30pm – 4.30pm) Located at the Indian Cultural Centre, Level 1, 265 Castlereagh St, Sydney. Hindi classes are $5 per one hour class or $40 for ten classes.

Registration is essential. Details icc2. sydney@mea.gov.in COMMUNITY Telangana anniversary Sun 10 June (5.00pm – 9.00pm) Australian Telangana State Association (ATSA) marks its 12th anniversary with an evening of cultural performances. Sydney Baha’i Centre, 107 Derby St, Silverwater.

Details Raj Baddam 0425 220 548 MISC Wedding Expo Sun 17 June (10.00am – 2.00pm) Need some assistance with your wedding? Head to the Indian Bridal Expo this month to mingle and meet

businesses and individuals. Held at Belhaven Manor 82 Station St, Wentworthville, NSW 2145. Details 0431 005 869.

Indian Curries and Craft Beer Sun 1 July (10.30am – 1.30pm) Warm up this winter and be inspired by the wonderful world of Indian cooking. You will learn to mix your own spices and prepare both wet and dry marinades to create a delicious menu of curries and accompaniments. And sit down and enjoy this feast with cold craft beer! Held at Cooking School at The Essential, Ingredient, 731-735 Darling St, Rozelle, NSW 2039.

Details 02 9555 8300.

Community Recycling Centres Community Recycling Centres are permanent drop-off facilities, open year round. Use them to safely dispose of selected common household problem wastes such as paint, gas bottles, fire extinguishers, motor and cooking oils, car and household batteries, fluorescent tubes and globes, and smoke detectors. Details call the Environment Line 131555 Seeking Volunteer Drivers Social welfare organisation Open Support is seeking kind-hearted locals to become volunteer drivers for its Country Care Link service.

This is a no-cost transport service for regional NSW families, couples and individuals who require vehicle transport when coming to Sydney for medical appointments and hospital stays. Details 02 8382 6430.

MAINSTREAM Biennale of Sydney 2018 Till 11 June View the works of Indianorigin artists exhibiting as part of the ongoing Biennale Sydney 2018 this year – Simryn Gill, Tanya Goel, NS Harsha, Prabhavati Meppayil, Sosa Joseph and Khaled Sabsabi. Details 02 8484 8700 Tales from the East: India and NSW 27 April – 26 Aug Old Government House, Parramatta Park, Parramatta.

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PEOPLE

Spokes woman Priya Singh took to the bicycle as a form of exercise, and is now hooked

BY PREETI JABBAL

S

elf-discipline is the magic power that makes Melbournian Priya Singh virtually unstoppable.

Discipline and determination helped her all the way as she successfully completed the recently held 145-km RACV Great Ocean & Otway Classic Bike Ride.

Starting and finishing at Torquay, this is Australia’s premier and most spectacular ride, and has been running for over a decade. Almost 4,000 riders participated this year, among them our very own Priya.

“The 145-bike challenge was something I wanted to do for myself,” she told Indian Link. “There were many elevations on the way and the going was tough but I persevered. When I managed to finish without any issues, I was so happy I cried.

It felt so good.”

Cycling for the body is like Sudoku for the brain: both offer great exercise and stimulation as well as slow the cognitive decline associated with age.

For Priya, the benefits of getting into the

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saddle are many.

She was recently diagnosed with osteoarthritis in the left knee, so running was out due to its adverse impact. She chose low impact cycling instead, as it was easier on her joints.

Priya, who has always maintained a healthy lifestyle, stepped up several notches in preparation.

Weight training, personal training, spin classes, ungodly hour bike rides on Brighton beach and a strict protein-rich diet became the Holy Grail.

She started her recreational ride training with the 60-km Otway Classic, followed by the 100-km Around the Bay in October 2017 and finally the Otway Classic 2018.

People have so many competing priorities that exercise gets pushed down the list but not so for the Singh family.

For them, fitness takes precedence over everything else.

That combined with a love of the great Australian outdoors means bulk of their recreational activities involve stepping out together.

“A week before my Otway ride we participated in the half distance triathlon challenge held at St. Kilda where my husband Anoop did the 1.9-km swim, I did the 90-km bike ride and Ayesha, our

Priya believes that everyone, especially Indian women ‘of a particular age’ should get moving before it’s too late daughter did the 21-km run. It was a great team effort,” said Priya with characteristic enthusiasm.

Priya bristles with energy at any given time whether she’s sweating it out at the gym, holding personal training sessions for friends to motivate them to improve fitness, looking after her children or joining her other half for his Ironman challenges.

Hubby Anoop Singh has successfully completed several Ironman challenges with the most recent one done and dusted in Paris this April. Priya was there with him cheering him all the way to the finish line.

Anoop for his part also accompanied Priya pedal to pedal through her demanding Otway classic ride. “It’s a tough ride for a rookie and it would have been impossible to do it without his support,” she said gratefully.

Luckily for Priya there were no tire punctures. “I am no good with that kind of stuff. Riding, yes! Fixing? Oh no!” she laughed.

The cyclist is gearing up to participate in more recreational bike events this year including Around the Bay in a Day event scheduled in October.

Priya believes that everyone, especially Indian women ‘of a particular age’ should get moving before it’s too late. She is eager to promote bike riding among her peers.

“We live in the most beautiful city in the world. Make the most of it by getting active: walk, run, bike and experience the great outdoors. You will never regret it and your body and mind will be fitter, healthier and happier,” she said as she set out for another gruelling training session at the gym.

JUNE (1) 2018 21

INDIAN NEWS On 15 May 2018, 16-year-old Shivangi Pathak from Haryana became the youngest Indian woman to scale Mount Everest from the Nepal side Photo: AP

Kuchibhotla’s killer pleads guilty to hate crime

A former US Navy veteran, serving life in prison for killing Indian engineer Srinivas Kuchibhotla and injuring two others at a bar in Kansas city in 2017, has pleaded guilty to hate crime charges.

Adam Purinton, 53, admitted that he fatally shot Kuchibhotla in February 2017 after confronting him and his co-worker Alok Madasani at Austins Bar & Grill in Olathe, the Kansas City Star reported.

Purinton pleaded guilty in US District Court in Kansas to three federal hate-crime charges saying that he targeted the men “because of their actual and perceived race, colour, religion and national origin”.

American man Ian Grillot, was also wounded having tried to intervene.

Purinton called the Indian men “terrorists” and yelled “Get out of my country!” before proceeding with the shooting.

He was earlier jailed for 50 years without parole on state murder charges.

Kuchibhotla’s widow Sunayana Dumala did not attend the court hearing but later released a statement thanking federal prosecutors and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.

“The change in the federal hate crime case against the murderer of my husband Srinu is a significant step to putting an end to hate crimes committed against people of colour and from different cultures. The actions of the court send a strong message that hate is never acceptable,” she said.

As part of the plea agreement in the federal case, prosecutors agreed to not seek death sentence for Purinton.

He faces a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without the possibility of parole, which is the sentence that the prosecution and defence jointly requested.

The judge set sentencing for 2 July.

“Hate crimes are acts of evil. While we cannot ameliorate the irreparable harm to the victims and their families, we hope that securing this guilty plea brings them some measure of closure,” Acting Associate Attorney General Jesse Panuccio said in a statement.

In March, Purinton pleaded guilty in Johnson County to a charge of first-degree

22 JUNE (1) 2018

murder as well as two counts of attempted first-degree murder for wounding Madasani and Grillot.

Earlier in May, a Johnson County judge had sentenced him to life in prison.

Trump to pardon Indian American media personality

United States President Donald Trump has said that he will pardon Dinesh D’Souza, a controversial conservative Indian-American media personality, who was convicted of making illegal contributions to a Republican Party candidate for Senate.

Trump tweeted, “Will be giving a Full Pardon to Dinesh D’Souza today. He was treated very unfairly by our government.”

D’Souza was prosecuted by IndianAmerican New York federal prosecutor Preet Bharara, and convicted in 2014 of making illegal election contributions of $10,000 to Republican Senate Candidate Wendy Long.

A journalist, author and filmmaker, D’Souza was a harsh critic of former President Barack Obama and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton.

He is known for stirring controversy with his angry rhetoric.

He was fined $30,000 and sentenced to five years of probation and eight months of overnight detention in a so-called halfway house.

Bharara defended his role tweeting, “D’Souza intentionally broke the law, voluntarily pled guilty, apologized for his conduct & the judge found no unfairness.”

However, Indian-American Sant Chatwal, who illegally contributed $188,000 as election contributions to Clinton was not prosecuted by Bharara, but was taken to court by former Attorney General Loretta Lynch when she was the federal prosecutor in Brooklyn in 2014.

Chatwal on his conviction was not sentenced to overnight detention like D’Souza, but received three years of probation, a fine of $500,000 and $1 million in forfeiture.

Prosecutors kept Clinton’s name off the charges, saying only that Chatwal had made an illegal contribution.

Chatwal, however, named her as the recipient in court papers pleading for

leniency.

Republicans claim Dinesh was the subject of a political prosecution, brazenly targeted by the Obama administration because of his political views.

D’Souza’s book The Roots of Obama’s Rage, which claimed that Obama was furthering the anti-colonial ideology to run down the US, was later made into a film.

He also produced a scathing documentary on Clinton, Hillary’s America: The Secret History of the Democratic Party.

Bharara had also prosecuted Rajat Gupta, Raj Rajaratnam and Mathew Martoma for insider trading on Wall Street, and had Indian diplomat Devyani arrested.

Indian-origin children monopolise Spelling Bee championship for 11th year

For the 11th consecutive year, Indian-origin children have monopolised the National Spelling Bee crown in the USA with Karthik Nemmani winning the 2018 championship, beating out five others in the last rounds.

Nemmani, a 14-year-old eighth-grader from Texas, spelt “koinonia” correctly for his victory on 1 June after second place winner, 12-year-old Naysa Modi, got “bewusstseinslage” wrong.

“It’s what I’ve been dreaming of for years now,” Nemmani said.

He takes home $40,000 and a trophy from Scripps Bee, which is sponsored by the EW Scripps media group, in addition to a $2,500 cash prize from Merriam-Webster, the dictionary publisher.

Last week Indian-origin Venkat Ranjan, won the National Geographic Bee, which carries a $50,000 scholarship, beating out two others.

The second and third places in the contest, which tests knowledge of geography, were also claimed by Indianorigin kids Anoushka Buddhikot and Vishal Sareddy.

This year 515 contestants participated in the National Spelling Bee championship, the biggest number so far because of rule changes that widened the pool beyond the local champions and also included those without sponsors, who are usually newspapers.

The contest held in Oxon Hill near

Washington was televised nationally on the sports channel ESPN. Indian-origin children have won the Spelling Bee championship for 11 continuous years since Sameer Mishra won in 2008.

In 1985, Balu Natarajan became the first Indian-origin child to win the Spelling Bee and 17 others have followed him.

The Spelling Bee is not merely a memory test of exotic words as it also requires learning about the origins of words and the languages they are derived from.

Almost a cult among Indian-Americans, Spelling Bees are organised by community organisations and by businesses wanting to reach them.

Nemmani’s cousin, Srivatsav who was a contestant, but didn’t get to the finals, said, “I knew he was going to win. He studied for hours and hours and hours, countless hours.”

“Koinonia” is “an intimate spiritual communion and participative sharing in a common religious commitment and spiritual community”, according to the National Spelling Bee website.

The site defined “bewusstseinslage” as “a state of consciousness or a feeling devoid of sensory components”.

Given the difficulty of the word that tripped Modi, Nemmani said modestly, “She deserves the trophy just as much if not more than I did.”

The third through sixth places went to Abhijay Kodali, Jashun Paluru, Navneeth Murali and Sravanth Malla.

‘Disappeared’ 16-yr-old youngest Indian woman to scale Everest

What’s worse than getting lost? Getting lost on the way to Mount Everest. And that’s exactly what happened to 16-yearold Shivangi Pathak, who dropped her radio transceiver during the trek, unable to contact anyone about her whereabouts.

Fate, however, had something else in store for the plucky teenager. After 10 interminably long hours, her family in Hisar (Haryana), who’d been waiting with bated breath, received a message that Pathak had reached the summit – and was now the youngest Indian woman to scale the highest peak of the Himalayas.

“We were extremely worried about her safety. The entire family prayed for hours for her safety without eating or drinking,” Pathak’s mother Aarti, 42, says. “It was a really long ordeal. I cannot describe in words what it felt like to hear this news. We are so proud of her. She achieved what she was determined to.”

It’s hard to believe that this harrowing yet triumphant journey that Pathak embarked upon on May 15, started with a joke.

“We heard that an Everest summiter Mamta Sodha was appointed the Deputy Superintendent of Police. I joked that Shivangi should do something as big so she gets a similar job,” Aarti says.

Once the seed was planted in Pathak’s mind, there was no turning back. In fact, when she saw a video of Arunima Sinha, the first Indian amputee to climb the peak, it only pushed her further in that direction.

Inspired by her, in November 2016, Pathak

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14-year-old Karthik Nemmani, an eighth grader from Texas USA wins this year’s Scripps National Spelling Bee Photo: AP

decided to take the trek.

She trained for over a year, for six to seven hours daily. Each training session included a 10-km run, weight lifting and skipping. Pathak was also made to run with a backpack of 20 kgs on her shoulders. “At times, she would run with ankle weights.

When tired, she would wear them on her wrist,” says her 27-year-old trainer, Rinku Pannu.

Pannu was a taskmaster, Pathak says.

“She criticised me for being “too stylish”, that I looked as though I was there for a fashion show and not a training session.

I had long hair back then and I was overweight.”

It hurt, but Pathak was determined. She chopped off her long locks and worked out to get into shape for her difficult goal. “She is my guru. She encouraged me to do it. I am immensely grateful to her,” says Pathak, who had to forego school to prepare for her climb.

On 1 April, she landed in Nepal. From there, she trekked up to the base camp where she reached by 5 April and then acclimatised herself for two weeks before beginning her mission on 10 May. “The route was incredibly slippery. And a storm hit the range a day before I reached the summit,” Pathak recalls. “The ice on the way was very hard. It wouldn’t break. I also fell sick but I refused to give up,” she adds, thanking her guide, Ang Temba Sherpa, who was with her throughout the journey.

“He was like god for me on that journey. He treated me like a younger sister.”

On 15 May, at 8.21am, Pathak finally made it. “The first person on my mind was my mother. I desperately wanted to hug her at that moment,” says the teenager, who then hoisted the national flag at the summit.

“It was a moment of pride, not just for me but for many girls in Haryana and in the country. Girls can do anything. They just have to have faith and determination,” she added, thanking her parents for their support.

So what’s next on her plate? Climbing the highest summits of the rest of the continents before she turns 18. “Seven summits before 18,” Pathak says.

Navy evacuates 38 stranded Indians from Yemen

The Indian Navy evacuated 38 stranded Indians from Socotra island in Yemen after a cyclone hit the area, forcing India to launch an operation to rescue them. All are reported to be safe after the 3 June operation aboard Indian naval ship INS Sunayna.

“They were immediately provided with medical care, food, water and telephone facilities to call and reassure their families,” a Navy spokesperson said. “Post evacuation, the ship would be proceeding towards Porbandar.”

Severe cyclonic storm Mekenu crossed the Yemeni Island of Socotra on 24 May, leaving the 38 stranded on the island with limited food and water.

The Navy deployed INS Sunayna in Western Arabian Sea for the humanitarian and disaster relief operation just after it received a distress call from the Directorate General of Shipping and the Indian Sailing

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Vessels Association.

“We got information that three Indian Dhows - a lateen rigged ship with one or two masts - at Socotra suffered damages and sank alongside in the harbour after the cyclone hit the area,” said the official.

“As we got the inputs about another Dhow, MSV Safina Al Khijar, with 12 Indians on board missing, the Indian Navy undertook two aerial sorties on 27 and 28 May to search for the missing Indians,” he added.

Hindu epic, including the entire discourse of Krishna to Arjuna (Sri Bhagavad-gita), and stuck to a story-telling tradition instead.

Mahabharater katha amrita saman kashiram das bhane shune punyaban ‘The Mahabharata tales are like ambrosia, says Kashiram das; it brings merit to listen to it.’

When the Serampore Mission Press opened in the 19th century, the Kashidasi Mahabharata was among the first Bangla texts to be printed.

Lost manuscript of 17th century Bengali poet found

Court admits abetment to suicide charge against Tharoor

Kashiram Das’ translation of the Mahabharata created a sensation in 17th century Bengali literature. A few days ago, wind literally turned the pages of history as some parts of another of his manuscripts were found in an old house in West Bengal’s Burdwan (Bardhaman) town, once a centre for patronizing literature and the arts.

The handwriting of the found manuscript, located days ago in Burdwan’s Katwa district (the birthplace of Kashiram), matches with the works of the poet kept in Bangiya Sahitya Parishad, a literary society in Bengal.

“During the winds, some of the manuscripts were scattered around a very old residence. We collected these pieces and found them very similar to the works of the great poet who was born here,” said Khudiram Dutta, the secretary of Kashiram Das Memorial Committee.

As the enthusiasts looked further, they also found a manuscript from the Bhattacharyas’ residence in that area. It contained almost 5,000 pages with most of the words inscribed being in Sanskrit and Bengali.

“The manuscripts were found in the stable of the residence,” said another committee member.

The contents of the manuscripts will be deciphered by experts. But some instances suggest the manuscripts contain some information on knowledge, health, mathematics, and Ayurveda of that time.

Kashiram is immortalised in Bengal by his version of the Mahabharata. In it, he typically avoided the long philosophical discourses that are the heart and soul of this

Congress MP Shashi Tharoor was on 5 June summoned as an accused in connection with the suicide of his wife Sunanda Pushkar.

The 62-year-old parliamentarian from Thiruvananthapuram has been asked to appear before Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Samar Vishal on 7 July, the next date fixed for the hearing.

“I have gone through and perused the chargesheet along with the documents filed along with it. Cognisance taken on offence regarding abetment to suicide of late Sunanda Pushkar and for committing cruelty upon her. On the basis of the police report, I take cognisance abetment of suicide punishable under 306 IPC and cruelty under 498A IPC. There exists sufficient grounds to proceed against Shashi Tharoor for commission of offence,” Magistrate Vishal said.

The case has taken various twists and turns ever since 51-year-old Pushkar died under mysterious circumstances in a hotel room in south Delhi on 17 January 2014, days after she alleged that her husband was having an affair with a Pakistani journalist.

A total of 27 tablets of Alprax were found in her room but it was not clear how many she had consumed.

The magistrate also issued notice to the prosecution for a written reply on the application of BJP MP Subramanian Swamy, who has been carrying on a campaign in the case, for conducting the prosecution.

On 14 May, police chargesheeted Tharoor under sections 306 and 498A of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to abetment to suicide and cruelty to wife, which entails a

jail term that could extend up to 10 years.

Meanwhile, Tharoor said in a statement that he found the charges against him preposterous and baseless, the product of a malicious and vindictive campaign against him.

“I will continue to vigorously contest these charges and maintain my steadfast conviction that ultimately truth will prevail through the judicial system that we have privileged to have in our country,” he said.

Tharoor pointed out that he had fully co-operated with the investigating team and continued to maintain that due legal process must be followed in all respects related to this case.

Raj Bhavans may be developed as model green buildings: President

Raj Bhavans, or the official accommodations of India’s state Governors, may be developed as the ideal premises for environment conservation and as model green buildings, President Ram Nath Kovind said recently.

“Even the Directive Principles of State Policy of our Constitution speak of environment conservation and protecting wildlife. In this context, all the Raj Bhavans can be developed as premises which are role model for environment conservation,” Kovind said while addressing the concluding session of the 49th Conference of Governors held at Rashtrapati Bhavan in New Delhi.

“There is a need to work efficiently towards water and power conservation, use of clean energy and achieve zero carbon emission. If the Raj Bhavans do that, all other government offices and institutions will follow this model,” he said.

The two day conference concluded on June 5, which is observed as the World Environment Day. Kovind also said that the Raj Bhavans could also create a “demonstration effect” by adopting the latest technology in its functioning.

He suggested that Raj Bhavans’ dashboards and effective websites could be developed which have dynamic data available on them.

IANS

JUNE (1) 2018 23

VIVID wildlife Reeti Pandharipande captures VIVID Sydney’s animal light sculptures at Taronga Zoo

24 JUNE (1) 2018

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NATIONAL EDITION

JUNE (1) 2018 25

OPINION

No trust is unjust We are failing women by slapping on them labels of ‘untrustworthy’ and ‘backstabber’ say APARNA ANANTHUNI and DIPANJALI RAO

“N

ever trust a politician or a woman.” These are the words of the ancient Indian philosopher and jurist, Chanakya, who authored the renowned political treatise Arthashastra, around 3rd-4th century BCE. Unfortunately, Chanakya was far from alone in his mistrust of women.

If there’s one thing that stays constant across cultures and centuries, it is the idea that women are fundamentally untrustworthy. The Greek philosopher Aristotle, whose writings have had enormous influence on both the western and middle- eastern world, called women “more jealous... more shameless... more deceptive” than men. In the Christian world, women are tainted by Eve’s so-called ‘original sin’: her weakness evidence of all women’s suspect characters. Even Sita, that paragon of South Asian feminine virtue, is asked not once but twice to prove her faithfulness to her husband, Rama, by walking through fire.

One could laugh this off as sexist mythology, but these ideas have continued into the modern world. Consider Australia’s first female Prime Minister.

The most damaging and pernicious criticism of ‘Ju-liar’s’ reign was her ‘untrustworthiness’ due to her removal of Kevin Rudd. Australia has removed 14 prime ministers since Federation, including Tony Abbott by our current PM, Malcolm Turnbull. Yet it was Gillard, the woman who became synonymous with ‘backstabbing’.

The trope of the untrustworthy woman manifests itself in the everyday lives of women too. This is clear when we look at crimes that disproportionately affect women, like domestic violence, sexual harassment and rape.

Take, for example, the Supreme Court of India ruling on ‘false’ domestic violence cases last year: “Most of such complaints are filed in the heat of the moment over trivial issues”, it stated.

myths about women and their reliability come into play to derail the serving of justice.

Take this stat, for example: only one in 10 of sexual assaults reported to the police result in a guilty conviction, according to a report by the Australian Institute of Criminology.

Not just this, over 70% of sexual assaults aren’t even reported to the police because women are

In their memorandum to the Chief Justice of India, women’s groups stated, “We are deeply concerned and dismayed that the entire judgment proceeds on the basis that women are liars and file false cases.”

Views like this aren’t limited to India.

Women all across the world, including in Australia, face barriers when trying to access justice. Sexual crimes are already hard to prosecute because they are usually committed in private. In situations where it is the woman’s word against the man’s,

fearful that they won’t be believed by police. And even if they do, the system will let them down.

And they’re not wrong. Defendants who plead not guilty to sexual assault are likelier to be acquitted than defendants who plead not guilty to other crimes.

In 2006 nearly 60% of defendants who pleaded not guilty to sexual assault were acquitted vs. 25% for drug offences or 45% for homicide. Simply put, when a man sexually assaults a woman, it is highly likely he will get away with it, in large part

because the woman is not believed.

A study of juror attitudes bears this out. Given that the issue of consent is contested in rape trials, credibility is what jurors depend on. And as we’ve seen, history disfavours women when it comes to displaying faith in their trustworthiness.

This history and the prevalence of stereotypes of the untrustworthy woman influence beliefs and actions. A report into juror attitudes conducted by the Australian Institute of Criminology in 2007 concluded; “Many of the jurors in the study not only brought their own beliefs and misconceptions about rape into the courtroom, but also interpreted the complainant’s testimony in light of them..(this) highlights the need to identify the nature and prevalence of beliefs about rape and sexual assault held more widely within the community.”

Things have begun to change, albeit slowly. The #MeToo movement has been key to this, not only giving women voices, but finally giving them a chance to address the impact of being mistrusted. After the Bill Cosby verdict, one of the accusers, Lili Bernard said, “Today...the #MeToo movement is saying that women are worthy of being believed.”

Let’s hope that this is just the beginning of recognising how harmful, pervasive and long lived sexist stereotypes are. It is only by critically examining and expunging these stereotypes from our literature, culture, faith and political systems that we can give gender equality a real shot.

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FESTIVAL Management Consultant Shafeen Mustaq talks about the importance of cultural awareness at work and other forums

Ramadan reflections

This issue we ask the question: what does Ramadan fasting mean to you, and how do you manage it with your work/study routine?

Beheshta Wasseh Sydney

I love Ramadan as it brings the family together for a meal. Everyone is so busy with their daily lives, but we make sure to break our fast together. Fasting isn’t too bad as iftar is just before 5.00pm, better than Germany where the sun sets after 9.00pm! I’m grateful for the short days as this year Ramadan has fallen near the busy exam period at university. It’s funny when I’m fasting and my friends don’t want to eat in front of me, as the whole point of Ramadan is to experience the hunger that less fortunate people face. It definitely makes me appreciate how fortunate we are to always have food and water on the table.

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Nayna Pinata Sydney

I work full-time in a pretty hectic and reactive environment and get pulled in all different directions throughout the day. My workplace is quite flexible and open to different cultural and religious commitments. Outside of Ramadan I usually start around 8.30am and finish by 6.00pm. However during Ramadan I organise with my team to start around 6:30 – 7.00am. I wake up for sehri (suhur for some) and instead of going back to sleep I head to work. I finish work around 3.30pm which thankfully gives me enough time to make it home for iftar with the family. My team makes

sure our meetings are scheduled around my Ramadan times and I also get the opportunity to work from home some days. As a thank you, I bring them a ginormous platter of biryani after Eid!

Shafeen Mustaq Canberra

Luckily this year in Australia fasting is quite short - 11.5 hours, most of which is spent at work where I don’t feel it unless someone’s eating something particularly fragrant! Fasting in Ramadan has such a focus on detoxing and learning more about the Islam that it is easy to work, play, pray and even organise charity iftars and dinners to raise funds for those in need.

Our charity in Canberra called Sitara’s Story is raising funds for mental health awareness among Bangladesh youth to address suicide rates. Collective humanity is what gives me purpose and drives balance in Ramadan.

Nadeem Ahmed Sydney

During Ramadan, we wake up for sehri before dawn, then pray and then head straight to work. I have very supportive employers. They give me flexibility to leave early so that I can be home it time for iftar, and allowing time for prayers is great. As an employee, I feel much more motivated and content with

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Tasneem

It has been scientifically proven that detoxing the human body for a month is beneficial to health and we Muslims have been doing this for hundreds of years Shehnaz Akhtar the job. Once I’m back home for iftar, it’s time to be with family. I love the bhajiyas, kebabs, tandoori, and the list goes on! I also love the food at Lakemba streets.

Personally, Ramadan is an opportunity to stop, pause, think and reflect on my actions, my deeds especially in this fast-paced, materialistic life we live running around jobs, money, stressing about little things in life which we don’t have control on. Ramadan is not just about not eating or not drinking. It’s about your whole being, how you live, behave and act. I try my best for all of these, do a spot of charity, fast, pray, try to abstain from all my bad habits.

Nadeem Ahmed

Shehnaz Akhtar

Zainab Farouk Canberra

I love how Ramadan is a spiritual, mental and physical detox where I work on my soul, thoughts and body! I love that Ramadan makes me reflect on myself and my surroundings. In this world of comparison, consumerism and social media I lose touch with what’s important in life.

Ramadan forces me to realign myself with what’s important in life and reflect on my connection with God, family, friends, my community and others in this world. It’s not always easy, but I come out of this month ready to take on another year of improving myself spiritually, mentally and physically.

Faiaz Faruque Sydney

During Ramadan I get to work a bit earlier so I can get home in time for iftar and prayer. I take the travel time to and from work to make my daily dua and reflect on all the things I’m grateful for. I also make time to socialise!

Tasneem Sydney

As a child, I was taught that Ramadan is the month of Allah – a spiritual month of forgiveness, charity and prayers. Whatever you desire in life, if you ask for during this month, Allah will make it happen. Fast forward to today, and I still uphold these values. It is also a month of togetherness; we come together to pray, break bread, and share our Ramadan experiences.

Salma Shah Sydney

Beheshta Wasseh

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Health reasons have prevented me from fasting in recent years. However, during Ramadan, I ensure that I remain extra mindful about what roza means, and I try particularly hard to live the values of Ramadan. For example, I ensure that my meals are much smaller portions, and that I don’t continually snack during the day.

I try my best to ensure that clean eating is pivotal to my daily routine, so I ensure my food is ethically sourced. At the end of the day, I don’t binge eat - as the purpose of Ramadan is to demonstrate moderation. I

try to temper my thoughts and behaviour to ensure that I am charitable in my thoughts and deeds. Sometimes I fail, but the important thing is to keep trying. And during the day, I focus on how blessed my life really is - and I make a point of buying a colleague lunch, or I bring in fruit for the cleaners at work.

Shehnaz Akhtar Melbourne

I believe in observing all the rituals as per our tradition. I wake up very early and try to get my children to do the same. I then complete the wuzu, sahoor and recite my tahajjud prayer. I try not to sleep as that defeats the purpose - you are meant to experience the hunger, and sleeping makes it easier. I pray most of the day as this is the time to connect to Allah Miya with full devotion. I do all the five namaaz and try to avoid spending time on recreational things like socialising or watching TV as this is time to pray. I break my fast at sunset with dates, fruit chaat and sherbat. My family looks forward to the pakoras (fritters) that are cooked at our place during Ramadan.

It has been scientifically proven that detoxing the human body for a month is beneficial to health and we Muslims have been doing this for hundreds of years.

My children have all been raised to observe Ramadan fasting and they all continue to do so as adults. This is a very special time for my family and me.

JUNE (1) 2018 29

STAGE

Prema and her accompanists filled the auditorium. It was left for Sanidya to supply the visual elements in the form of dance. She did so brilliantly, taking her demonstrated skill - and her composure through to the other evocative pieces.

Tasked with showcasing her skill in front of a discerning audience, Sanidya passed with flying colours. She brought out the moods in some of Carnatic music’s finest pieces, her stylised movements all made to perfect measure. Through it all, her belief in herself through this major solo recital, shone through radiantly.

The number ‘Bho Shambo’ was a dancer’s delight and concluded with pirouettes thrilling the audience.

‘Keerthane Shrunga Puradheeswari’ had many expressive poses with imaginative insertions. ‘Vishama Kara Kannan’ was folkish in nature and brought out the various facets of Lord Krishna – mainly his propensity for mischief, and the agitation of his girlfriends, the Gopis. The performance concluded with the well-known Dhanasri Thillana followed by a rare and unique Mangalam.

The music provided was totally indigenous. Prema Anadakrishnanan’s vocal mastery was abundantly apparent; her music reverberated in the auditorium.

Nikhila Kiran gave the natuvanga, while Janakan Raj presented versatile mridangam support. He has proved to be a master of the craft. Venkatesh Sritharan (flute) and Soumya Sritharan (veena) added to the richness of our experience. Some of their musical interludes were wonderfully appealing.

When she is not dancing, Sanidya works in HR with Enrich Consulting Services in Sydney, having recently obtained her Bachelor’s degree in Business and Commerce. It is heartening to see her join the accomplished bunch of youngsters in our community who are ensuring that our centuries’ old traditions in the classical arts live on in this era.

For mum + more Sanidya Kumar’s piece de resistance at her arangetram is cleverly picked

BY SYDNEY SRINIVAS

M

other means a million to us.

She gave us life, nurtured us through our vulnerable years, and was our source of solace ever beyond.

On a larger scale she is the Matha (or Mathe) that protects the universe; at the same time though, she can be the very destroyer - Kali, Durga or Chamundeswari.

She is multifarious and is an all pervading force.

The composer Muthiah Bhagavathar brings this out famously in his ‘Mathe Malayadhvaja Pandya Sanjathe’ (raga Kamas).

To present this within the nuances of Bharatanatyam though, would be quite a challenge, given it is packed with expressive

words, jathi swaras, kalpana swaras and associated word phrases.

And yet you did well, Sanidya, as you presented this item recently. The nritya you provided for lines such as ‘Shakodari, shankari, chamundeswari, chandrakaladhari, thaye, Gowri’ was a pleasure to watch.

(Coming so close to Mother’s Day, this complex yet beautiful number performed with much precision, must have filled your own mum’s heart with pride.)

The music for this item was extraordinary in that it swayed into different moods and shades and induced a variety of feelings. The abhinaya provided by the dancer was quite extended from being a calm and peaceful mother to the very destroyer, Chamundeswari. The performance oozed Roudra rasa (the emotion of anger). And yet fittingly, it all concluded with a peaceful shloka.

This was the Varnam, the central piece and the acid test of the dancer, in the Bharatanatya arangetram of Sanidya Kumar, daughter of Vijayalaxmi and

Krishna Rao Kumar of Sydney. She is a disciple of Nikhila Kiran, the illustrious dance guru who runs the Natyanivedan School. The institute trains nearly 120 students of which four have already made their debuts. The event was held in the Lighthouse Auditorium of the Anglican College in Orchard Hills (Sydney) in midMay. In what turned out to be a very enjoyable evening, the young Sanidya danced with enthusiasm and confidence.

After the invocation to Lord Ganesha and the Alaripu, came the Jathiswaram in raga Chakravaka. This was a purely abstract dance. Rich swaras – sa sa ni dha pa ma ga ri sa ga ri sa from the vocalist

The abhinaya provided by the dancer was quite extended, from being a calm and peaceful mother to the very destroyer, Chamundeswari

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THIS MONTH

PEOPLE, PLACES, PARTIES SEND YOUR EVENT SNAPS OR PARTY PICS TO MEDIA@INDIANLINK.COM.AU

A gala housewarming party hosted

by Anju Sharma at her Schofields home

RK Ram marks his 90th birthday with wife Rajalakshmi & friends

Indian Link Radio’s Sagar Mehrotra celebrates a quiet birthday with wife Nidhi, son Ishaan and daughter Saisha

Manya Puri’s 4th birthday - it’s cake time!

32 JUNE (1) 2018

Indian Link Radio listener Anju Handa drops into the studio with family to wish RJ Kashif Harrison a happy birthday

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Spirit of India (NSW) Inc.

# 9881697

Not for Profit organization conducting following events Contact : spiritofindia2002@yahoo.com, (M) 0412 202 182 Suresh Event 1 Celebration of International Day of Yoga Date: Sunday 24th June 2018 Venue: Ermington Community Centre Session 1: Sun Salutation 108 Morning: 7.00 to 9.00 am Bring Yoga mat, Breakfast served.

Session 2: Ayurveda in Daily Life Time: 10.00 am to 1.30 pm Presentation: Dr Rajkumar FREE Admission: Registration must Event 3 Youth Workshop A Day Retreat (Age 13 to 20 years)

Brighten your Future

Presenter: Swami Angajan Date: Saturday 30th June 2018 Time: 9.30 to 4.00 pm Venue: Quakers Hill High School FEE: $ 50.00 (Includes snacks, meal and Course material) Registration must

Event 2 Lecture Series on RAMAYANA – a Manual to Master your Life

Presenter: LIFE MASTERY FOUNDATION Swami Angajan

Date: June 25, 26, 27 & 29 Every Day Evening 7.30 to 9.00 pm Venue: Quakers Hill High School

FREE Admission: All are Welcome Event 4 Ayurvedic Management of Life Style Disease Series Presenter: Dr Rajkumar Sharma Venue: Dundas Community Centre Time: Daily 7.00 pm to 9.00 pm Diabetes Friday 6th July: Saturday 7th July: Heart Attack Sunday 8th July: High BP Tuesday 10th July: Arthritis FREE Admission: Registration must

For More Information & Registration: Call Suresh 0412 202 182 Visit www.spiritofindia.org or email spiritofindia2002@yahoo.com NATIONAL EDITION

JUNE (1) 2018 33

SCIENCE

Taking science to a wider audience As a special guest at this year’s convocation at the University of Sydney’s Faculty of Science, Dr ASTHA SINGH talked about her new career in science communication

I

would like to begin by acknowledging the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, upon whose ancestral lands the University of Sydney is built.

I’d like to acknowledge Ms Dorothy Hoddinott AO, Dean of the Faculty, Professor Trevor Hambley, guests, friends and most importantly, all the graduates and their families here.

What a proud moment for all of you graduating here today, after all the hard work you have put into every assignment, exam, project, lab experiment, data analysis, thesis and what not! I think you all deserve a big round of applause shall we?

It was not so long ago that I myself sat here, in these very seats, in my own graduation gown. Just like I did then,

some of you are probably wondering, where to now?

I’d like to say to you, the future looks bright.

Here’s something put out by the Education Council that I read recently: In today’s fast-changing world driven by technological change, the strategic skill sets inherent in STEM subjects are in high demand. Many exciting, high paying, and interesting career paths have grown in Australia for STEM graduates.

Over the years to 2022, the second largest jobs growth will be in professional, scientific and technical services…. the 2017 Graduate Outcomes Survey shows that STEM graduates have higher than average employment rates.

Science as a career is not limited in its choices anymore.

What we need to do is to choose the right fit for our own selves. When we follow our heart and do what we enjoy, it sets us on a path to professional as well as personal success and satisfaction.

For me personally, the life sciences have always been fascinating. As I worked towards my PhD in Plant Pathology, I came to realise what it is that I most enjoy about science: explaining it to people in layman terms. It came from the simple explanation of the way broccoli smells.

(You see, I smelled like broccoli soup for two whole years, Astha at her own graduation in 2006. working with this vegetable in the lab

34 JUNE (1) 2018

on a daily basis!) Of course, the fact that I am a chatterbox and have always enjoyed meeting and interacting with people, also helped greatly.

This innate passion has led me to where I am today. I currently manage the Australian arm of the world’s leading science communication program. It is called FameLab, and I hope you have heard of it. A science talent show which gives participants three minutes to present science, engineering and technology concepts, it engages as well as entertains. The program involves searching for innovators, and giving them opportunities to build on their science communication skills.

The huge multidisciplinary overlap of the STEM fields in this program is awe inspiring, and I am thoroughly enjoying taking science to a wider audience.

As I look back on my learning experiences both at university and at work, I find three important life lessons that I would like to share with you.

1. Do not be afraid of failure: it is but a stepping stone to success. Wear it like a badge of honour. This University was gracious enough to provide all the support I needed to stay focussed, in the form of guidance as well as financial aid. Things didn’t always go my way during those PhD years, but I am not the first research scholar to say that! And even after, as I decided to manoeuvre my career into something different, all I got initially was a series of knockbacks.

Those moments though, became a foundation for resilience and endurance, and motivated me to soldier on with the career pathway of my choice.

2. Never stop learning. During my time in this University, I was encouraged to pursue various learning and development opportunities of my choice. I am glad to say that I have taken this desire to learn, and the courage to ask questions, beyond the walls of university, constantly challenging myself with new opportunities and ideas. I don’t need to tell you that it

is the simple desire to discover, that fuels science. For myself, I hope to maintain a childlike curiosity even as I grow into my sunset years!

3. There is no bias in this world, we make our own prejudices. As an international student, I came to realise early on that it is our attitude and response to circumstances that ensure how connected we become in a new place with new people. I am guided by a wonderful saying in the Sanskrit language: “Vasudhaiv Kutumbakam”.

It means that the world is one family, and that is how I viewed my significant others at university. I strongly believe that diversity and inclusion open doors to empowerment and future leadership, for everyone. You will all have different circumstances but no matter what they are, Australia has and will continue to provide equal opportunities and a great start-line for a promising future – so give it all you’ve got!

As you finish your study here and embark on your new lives, you will look back at the University of Sydney with much fondness. For me, these are hallowed grounds. They welcomed me into this country 11 years ago, a bright-eyed youngster eager to embrace the world.

They supported me through the years of struggle – the fun times and the not-sofun times, the failures and the ultimate successes. In this very place, I learnt the Australian way of life. To this day, when I visit the University’s Camperdown and Darlington campuses, I am filled with a deep sense of respect; it’s almost as if I am at a place of worship.

This was my story, but today is all about you. Today marks a sense of accomplishment for you, and as you stand at the threshold of your new ‘fully adult’ lives, I wish you a lifetime of curiosity, the courage to ask questions, and the opportunity to pick from a variety of exciting paths ahead.

This is an amended version of Dr Astha Singh’s address to students.

www.indianlink.com.au

NATIONAL EDITION

JUNE (1) 2018 35

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FOOD

Walnut wonder T

he cold season is upon us and what better than walnuts for some warmth? Not only are they tasty (Hello, chocolate walnut cake!) but this brain boosting nut is high on Omega-3 (to keep that ticker of yours fit as a fiddle), Vitamin E and antioxidants. Have them raw, chuck them in a salad, or try the recipes here. They come from award-winning chef Sabyasachi Gorai, former Director of Kitchens at India’s popular food chain Olive Bar & Kitchen.

POMEGRANATE GLAZED CHICKEN WITH CALIFORNIA WALNUT AND POMEGRANATE COUSCOUS

EGGPLANT WALNUT APPETISER DIP

SWEET WALNUT BRIOUATS

Ingredients

Ingredients

Ingredients

1 eggplant 1 tbsp olive oil 3 cloves garlic 1 cup California walnuts 1/3 cup fresh flat-leaf Italian parsley Zest of one lemon 1 tbsp lemon juice 1 tbsp honey 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp pepper

Method

Preheat oven to 218 degrees Celsius. Cut the eggplant in half, and brush with olive oil.

Place on baking sheet. Make a small packet of aluminium foil to hold the garlic cloves and the remaining oil; place alongside eggplant.

Bake for 35 minutes.

Place walnuts on another baking sheet.

Toast five-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Once the eggplant has finished roasting, allow to cool down a bit, then scoop the flesh of the eggplant from the skin. Discard the skin.

Combine walnuts and parsley in food processor; chop. Add lemon zest, lemon juice, honey, roasted eggplant and garlic, and salt and pepper to taste. Blend in the food processor until smooth.

Serve with pita bread.

NATIONAL EDITION

200 gm California walnuts 70 gm sugar 1 tsp cinnamon Zest of an orange 250 gm liquid honey 100 ml water 2 tbsp orange flower water 16 filo pastry sheets 50 gm liquid butter

Method:

Use a mixer to chop the walnuts finely. Mix with sugar, cinnamon, and orange zest and set aside. For the syrup add honey and water in a pot and bring to a boil.

Let simmer for two minutes, remove from heat and let cool. Add the orange flower water once the syrup has cooled.

Preheat the oven to 150 degree Celsius (gas: level 1, convection: 130 degree Celsius). Remove the filo pastry sheets from the package, leave them as a stack, and brush each upper one with melted butter. Place the walnut mass along the narrow side of the pastry, leaving two-three cm space in between.

Roll up the pastry sheets and fold the ends to prevent the filling from running out. Repeat this step for each pastry sheet. Place the rolls on a baking sheet lined with baking paper and brush with the remaining melted butter. Bake for ca. 25 minutes until they are golden brown. Pour over the warm syrup and serve.

For the chicken: 1 tbsp sumac 1 large clove of garlic, minced 1 tbsp olive oil A pinch of salt and pepper 4 chicken thighs, bone in and skin on 60ml pomegranate molasses For the couscous: 160 gm couscous 30 ml extra virgin olive oil 20 ml lemon juice 10 ml pomegranate molasses Small bunch of flat leaf parsley, roughly chopped Small bunch of mint, roughly chopped Seeds from half a pomegranate 80 gm California walnuts, toasted and roughly chopped

Method

Mix the garlic, sumac and olive oil, season with the salt and pepper and massage into the chicken thighs. Leave to marinate for at least one hour. Once marinated, place the chicken thighs on a barbeque over medium hot coals.

After 10 minutes, brush the chicken with the 50ml of pomegranate molasses, continue cooking until sticky and glazed on the outside and cooked right through on the inside. Cook the couscous as per the packet instructions. Meanwhile, whisk together the extra virgin olive oil, lemon juice and 10 ml of molasses.

Mix into the couscous along with the pomegranate seeds, fresh herbs and walnuts. Serve alongside the chicken.

JUNE (1) 2018 37

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FORETELL

JUNE 2018

BY MINAL KHONA Minal Khona has been reading tarot cards for the last two decades. She uses her intuition and connect with the cards mostly to help people.

TAROT

ARIES March 21 - April 19

TAURUS April 20 - May 20

GEMINI May 21 - June 20

CANCER June 21 - July 20

You’ve got the best card in the pack so expect good things. Even delays come with the promise of success. If the situation in a relationship is a bit difficult, let go of it and let time resolve it for you. A trip that could change your luck is in the offing. Blocks in your career are temporary. Slow down and take it easy if you are feeling tired. Your obsession with a person or situation from the past will end.

If planning to move, you might move closer to your childhood home. A Sagittarius kind of personality influences you this month so you might be a bit more outspoken and blunt. You want a relationship to be deeper than it is currently. You look for more meaning in everything. Financial gains are indicated through debt recovery. A troubling health condition needs attention. Success through repeat clients and social connections is indicated. Change is in the air through new perspectives.

Focus on passive activities this month. Feelings, emotions and selfexpression dominate and look for creative satisfaction. Time will reveal whether you will split or be together, in a relationship. Stay detached. A pregnancy could be on the cards too.

Commit to your career goals and if you wish to get rid of self-destructive patterns, the universe will send help. A tedious or unpleasant situation will be vexing but let it resolve itself on its own.

A second occupation proves beneficial.

Partial success, reunion with an ex, a new relationship or improved conditions in the current one are foretold for Cancerians. A destiny card is drawn for you, so keep your mind open to a once in a lifetime opportunity that might come your way. A short trip proves rewarding and leads to a significant encounter. Resolution of inner or outer conflicts brings a change in consciousness for the better. A loved one could develop a heart condition.

Finances improve too.

LEO July 21 - Aug 22

VIRGO Aug 23 - Sep 22

LIBRA Sep 23 - Oct 22

SCORPIO Oct 23 - Nov 21

Overall a positive month with a new career opportunity, different from what you have been doing thus far, comes along and leads to success. Be very careful with what you eat as it could cause a serious, life threatening situation. Undercurrents of tension due to unresolved issues at work continue.

The key to resolving problems is to stop thinking about them and live in the moment. Money comes from multiple sources. Work related travel and group activities keep you busy.

You might be influenced by a Taurean this month and are in a persevering, realistic, down to earth and result oriented frame of mind. You might want to walk away from a painful relationship but are unable to break away and it won’t end despite hurdles. Drive cautiously, and don’t let emotional issues interfere with work. You could have issues with your gums or teeth. A much welcome turn of events in the feelings department makes you feel good.

Life is trying to teach you a lesson to stop repeating a pattern. Let go and let God handle any painful experience you might be going through. You might experience feelings of martyrdom in a marriage; search for a purpose and fresh direction will emerge to make things better. Finances are good. Inner growth and the ability to trust again will be your gifts this month. Let go of a situation or habit that no longer serves your purpose.

It is a time for healing, spiritual quests, psychic abilities and intense feelings.

You might develop an interest in the occult. A social opportunity presents a chance to meet someone new, maybe even at your doorstep. An unexpected dispute at work or home hassles you but stay calm. Success is foretold through the impression you make on others. A spiritual force heightens your intuition. A trip could get postponed. In a conflict, don’t play martyr and don’t blame yourself either.

SAGITTARIUS Nov 22 - Dec 21

CAPRICORN Dec 22 - Jan 19

AQUARIUS Jan 20 - Feb 18

PISCES Feb 19 - March 20

Group activities pertaining to career goals improve work conditions significantly. A new romance, work and hobbies keep you busy this month. If in a relationship, you might discuss living arrangements. Avoid binging on food, cigarettes or alcohol for emotional gratification. You just might be too busy to rest this month. A friend will help you recover money owed to you.

Communication channels open up and you let go of any hard feelings. Ideas discussed at work are profitable and inspire confidence.

There is a reconciliation or reunion on the cards this month. You concentrate on self-improvement and getting an image makeover at work. Do not get romantically involved with a lonely person, they could be married. An unexpected trip is successful. An ex might try to win you back. As your fears are assuaged, you will not let yourself be dragged under. Enjoy the validation you receive for your skills and quality of work. A referral brings about a long overdue promotion.

Spiritual quests, people, marriage and unions keep Aquarians busy this month. You seek a higher consciousness and maintain a facade to hide loneliness. Your work or health issues take you away from home. You seek a new element in your work as you feel tired and run down but you badly need to rest. Funding is reinstated and work that puts you in the public eye could come your way. An engagement could break. Indulge in a makeover.

An old affair could get rekindled, or you just might meet the great love of your life this month. Your struggles to assert yourself at work will end and a new partnership is on the cards.

Watch out for impatience and being headstrong in a relationship. A health problem needs a second opinion as it could have been misdiagnosed.

Romantic disappointments are short lived. Remember that the universe always gives more than you ask for as you manifest your desires.

NATIONAL EDITION

JUNE (1) 2018 39

ENTERTAINMENT

cineTALK flick (for the want of a better genre description) are not all seen to be chauvinistic idiots. Some of them are actually quite interesting. The nameless guy who follows (stalks?) Sonam’s Avni to every noisy function and even gets her into bed (and even gives her her first big ‘O’, we are told) is so loud and cheesy, he is a scream.

Imagine if the drunk Kajol in Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge had actually woken up in Shah Rukh Khan’s bed after a night of pleasurable sex.

Sonam’s Avni in Veere Di Wedding is in that position.

Under the glaring light of pleasure, there is dark sorrow. Though outwardly every character is constantly partying, the hollowness of their existence is felt in throbbing threads of anger and regret.

BRIGHT AND BUBBLY… BUT A BIT BEFUDDLED? VEERE DI WEDDING

Director: Shashanka Ghosh STARRING Kareena Kapoor Khan, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja, Swara Bhasker, Shikha Talsania, Sumeet Vyas

HHHHH

You only live once... right? Best to fill your life with as much festivity and joy as possible. Veere Di Wedding embraces the hollow yet strangely satisfying rituals (for some) of hedonistic living in Delhi’s upper class business community (the kind that Sonam Kapoor has married into) with a rush of fervour that leaves the audience breathless.

The director introduces us to the four childhood friends who grow up into designer glory by the time we settle down in our seats with our popcorn.

Then the revelry never stops.

But wait, it’s not only about four

frocked friends frolicking in froth.

There are secret sorrows in all of this celebration. Kareena playing Kalindi the quietest, saddest, most confused and the most elegant of the four protagonists, has a distant far-away look in her eyes throughout the film.

This could either be Kalindi’s aching regret for missing out on a normal family life (her beloved mum passed away and her dad married a giggly airhead played by the wonderful Ekavali Khanna). Or it could just be Kareena wondering if Taimur has had his Cerelac.

The very talented Swara Bhasker as Sakshi is a foul-mouthed, ill-tempered, almost-divorcee, splurging on her wealthy parents’ money while they sit and watch her wedding video wondering where they went wrong. Swara’s Anarkali Of Arrah effortlessly gets into Gucci.

Then there is the almost-unknown Shikha Talsania playing a young obsessive mother married to an understanding compassionate Australian (played by Edward Sonnenblick, the guy in Firangi whom Kapil Sharma kicked). Shikha’s comic timing has to be seen to be believed.

Bollywood embraces the other-ness of glamour. And that’s good news for actors like Shikha.

Sonam Kapoor, looking like a million bucks, plays the hoity-toity prudish divorce lawyer looking for some manaction in her parched life. Sonam’s Avni is arid, waiting to be married.

Her encounter with a spot of lust with a prospective groom is outrageously funny. Sonam is in splendid form filling that fancy clutch-bag with real emotions.

Not easy to do.

Blessedly, the men in this chick

Some of the actors, so busy having a good time, fail to express the tangled mess of troubled unresolved issues that the script raises.

Kareena’s gay uncle (played by Vivek Mushran) and his live-in partner are concessions to tokenism that needed more fleshing out. But the narrative is too restless and anxious, too impatient to move to the next level of fun, only to rip the revelry at the seams.

This film is fun to watch. The quartet of gorgeous women are more entertaining than the four guys in Dil Chahta Hai. One of whom had famously said, “You can’t improve on perfection”.

True, but you can do a lot with imperfection. Especially if you have the wealth to play around with to hide your ongoing bouts of gaffes and faux pas. Veere Di Wedding is one helluva joyride, a designer’s delight and yet not quite the air-headed experience it loudly proclaims itself to be.

Subhash K. Jha

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that work in the film. The film gets its Mahabharat sinfully wrong too: firstly, the teleserial by B. R. Chopra is shown being aired in 1998, when it concluded on Doordarshan in 1990; the names of the five Pandavas are used as code names for John and his four colleagues thrown at the vortex of the Pokhran deserts even if it means pissing off the entire government machinery.

With one man (Boman Irani) from the PM’s office supporting Ashwat Rana’s mission, India’s nuclear prospects have nothing to fear. With John Abraham playing the rebellious anti-establishment hero hell bent on doing right no matter what the cost, the film reads more like a Hollywood cop thriller than a faithful

GOOD INTENTIONS GONE TO WASTE PARMANU: THE STORY OF POKHRAN

STARRING John Abraham, Boman Irani, Anuja Sathe, Diana Penty DIRECTOR Abhishek Sharma

HHHHH

If good intentions make good cinema then every propaganda film would be a classic. In the absence of a hefty grip and a budget to rev up the key sequences pertaining to India’s historic nuclear explosions Parmanu: The Story Of Pokhran ends up more like a fable of one man’s heroism rather than the saga of a nation that woke up to a nuclear dawn.

The facts are twisted into commercial shapes including a flash point buttonon-the-fingertip climax where the film’s editor runs with breathless bravado from pillar to post, trying to keep the audience’s interest alive.

But all in vain. Parmanu is like a promised havoc that never goes beyond a wound-up whimper. The film’s opening shows the bureaucrat-hero Ashwat Rana (John Abraham, starchy and unflappable) grappling with a roomful of bored colleagues who are more interested in the samosas than Ashwat’s plans to nuclearize Apna Bharat Mahaan.

It’s an opening paying a direct

homage to Shimit Amin’s Chak De. Throughout John Abraham remains in character, implacably committed to the mission even if it means pissing off his wife (played by Anuja Sathe who was excellent just recently in Blackmail, what happened here?) and even if America gets on the wrong side.

‘America’ is imagined with outrageous tackiness: a bunch of Caucasians (probably tourists picked from the Gateway Of India) sitting in front of obsolete computers monitoring India’s nuclear movements, that’s Uncle Sam watching. Their computers, and one antiquated cellphone, are just about the sum-total of period references

chronicle of India’s nuclear makeover in the deserts of Pokhran.

While sections of the film get unbearably jingoistic, towards midpoint the plot gets absurdly ‘espionaged’.

An immoral spy (who, it turs out, becomes the film’s most interesting character) from Pakistan named Sajjan snoops into our hero’s hotel room in Pokhran, plants an eavesdropping device and gets Ashwat’s wife to suspect him of infidelity. Sadly, it all seems highly improbable and manipulated. By all means, honour the country with flag-waving patriotism, but at least make sure that the film does not prove unworthy of its nationalistic aspirations.

Subhash K. Jha

REGULAR GUY AS SUPERHERO BHAVESH JOSHI SUPERHERO

STARRING: Harshvardhan Kapoor, Priyanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma; DIRECTOR: Vikramaditya Motwane

HHHHH

Harshvardhan Kapoor doesn’t play the title role in the film. Anyone could.

This is a film about pricking awake the conscience, so well-written and so successful in downplaying the image of the typical hero. Anyone could be that prick.

On the other hand, no one really bothers. Why should they when all you get for trying to change the status quo is a death in the gutter? What makes this film an important testament on the need to make your voice of protest, is the language used to convey that urgent need.

Though wrongly marketed as a superhero film, Bhavesh Joshi Superhero actually tells us why the cult of superheroism needs to be urgently replaced by a more practical and tenable form of working class heroism.

Hence, Sikandar (Harshvardhan Kapoor) is at first happy being a pseudoreformist spewing reformatory jargon in smoky pubs until something happens to put him on red alert.

The film has a slow, steady and solid

NATIONAL EDITION

build up to a climactic outburst that is so powerfully shot that it leaves us with a sense of foreboding for the hero whose mask peels off to reveal the face of the ordinary man suffering the indignities of a system that allows politicians to fleece and flee.

Nishikant Kamat makes a menacing villain. A politician on the corporator’s level who dreams of controlling Mumbai.

What makes Vikramaditya Motwane’s film on the extraordinary heroism of ordinary people is its relentless statement on unostentatious heroism.

Harshvardhan, in a post-debut role that allows him to prove he has the creative chops to carry a role even when cast as a reluctant hero, steps into the heroic mould without losing his sense of ordinariness.

The young actor excels in conveying the helplessness and growing rage of average youngsters who watch the dance of plunder, but this time it is Mumbai’s water supply that plundering politicians desire.

How we look at Sikandar’s efforts to stop the plunder is entirely reliant on how effectively we accept Harshvardhan as an actor who excels in being in a man who won’t give up Anna Hazare’s dream of re-structuring story. Harshavardhan gets ample opportunity to play a character who gets caught in definitions

of heroism. He is well-supported by two other young actors Pryanshu Painyuli and Ashish Verma who play Harshvardhan’s brothers in arms.

This is a film that catches us off guard. Its message of social awakening spotlights a film that is brave and bleak.

Shot with a striking sense of the raw and the real, it salutes a wounded

civilisation without resorting to the flagwaving patriotism of Parmanu. It doesn’t offer instant solutions and homemade remedies against corruption in politics.

It tells us all to go out there and try to make a difference.

Just like the producers and director of this film have done.

Subhash K. Jha

JUNE (1) 2018 41

ENTERTAINMENT

The BUZZ UP-TO-DATE NEWS ON WHAT’S HOT AND HAPPENING IN BOLLYWOOD

DIA MIRZA

DIA MIRZA: WAH, TAJ!

RANBIR’S ‘SANJU’ ACT IS SHORT OF BREATH

E

verything seems to be a joke in the eagerly awaited trailer of Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju, based on the life of troubled actor Sanjay Dutt. A cruel joke told in the form of a psychedelic fable replete with visuals of Sanju baba aka Ranbir Kapoor, high on drugs, so high that he can’t tell the difference between a laugh and a cry, or a mangalsutra and a toilet seat.

In a sequence meant to be deafeningly shrill in its hysterical repudiation of a traumatic marriage, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja shrieks for her missing mangalsutra, and her high-as-a-kite husband drapes her neck with a toilet seat.

Toilets occur twice in the longish trailer. Next we see Sanju in a dingy prison cell panicking as the inbuilt toilet vomits yellow liquid excreta in nauseating bubbles.

Realism during the times of surrealism.

The atmosphere is light, fluffy, woozy and jokey even in the scenes of horrific torture where Ranbir’s Sanju cracks up after a resounding slap from a policeman interrogating him for his alleged terror activity. It is again an unintentionally funny moment because the real Sanjay Dutt must have cracked up so many times under duress without looking like he has just been caught eating an extra gulab jamun for dessert.

Sanjay’s saga is a chronicle of self-abuse and voluntary destruction. Neither of these aspects is highlighted or even mentioned in the trailer. Barring the small glimpse of Manisha Koirala as Sanjay’s legendary mother Nargis, every actor seems to be in this for the fun of it. Vicky Kaushal, so majestically restrained in Raazi, is specially annoying as Sanju’s sidekick smirking about “say-ex”.

And Paresh Rawal as Sunil Dutt behaves as if his son is an angel targeted by all the devils in the world. This is so wrong. I remember how troubled Sunil was by his son’s antics. Speaking to me, he had called his son a “bigda beta (a brat)” spoilt by his mother. The trailer makes it seems the father blames the world for his son’s troubles.

Everything in the trailer seems to be done for effect. Anushka Sharma (with a specially-cropped haircut to look the part) asks Sanjay how many women he has slept with besides his girlfriends. (Which journalist asks such questions in Mumbai?)

“Does that include prostitutes? 308... no make that 350 just to be on the safe side,” Ranbir’s Sanju deadpans.

The overweening cuteness of an incorrigible hedonist is unbearable to digest.

The only moment that actually had me laughing was when director Mahesh Manjrekar calls Sanjay Dutt, saying the shot is ready. Sanju pretends to be stuck in the traffic.

“But I’ve called you on the landline,” protests Manjrekar with a laugh.

That’s it. Everyone - from mum Nargis to friend Manjrekar - laughed off Sanju baba’s wrongdoings.

Judging by the trailer, it seems we’re supposed to do the same.

Subhash K. Jha

42 JUNE (1) 2018

The Taj Mahal might be one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but it’s a wonder that it’s still standing given the relentless pollution around. (Did you know: Agra was declared one of the most polluted cities in India by WHO recently?). Which is probably why the government’s decision to clean up the areas surrounding the monument couldn’t come at a better time. Diya Mirza certainly seems to think so.

Basically, it has been decided that Agra would beat plastic pollution by ending disposable, or single use plastic around the Taj Mahal and make up to 500 metres around the historic monument plastic-free. It’s being called the Taj Declaration.

To which, Dia said, “Taj Mahal and Agra as a city attract tourists from all over the world. As a world heritage site and symbol of love, what we witnessed and we hope (is that) we will convert action on the ground to a significant change in the human behaviour.”

Dia added that the pledge is a “powerful example” to the entire world and that she can’t wait to come back and see how it all pans out. We’ve got our fingers crossed too!

SALMAN KHAN: MR CONGENIALITY

No other Khan comes close to the kind of popularity Salman Khan enjoys – neither Shah Rukh nor Aamir. The secret to this popularity is his apparent heart of gold. He is ‘bhai’, after all, and at any given point of time, you will always find at least one celeb gushing over Sallu.

In this case, two of them, Saqib Saleem and Jacqueline Fernandez (his co-stars in Race 3).

While Jacqueline says she feels so intimidated by his aura sometimes that she even forgets her dialogue, she adds, “Once you know him, you realise he is really a nice man with big heart”.

Saqib says Salman has the earned the greatest power there is: the power of people. “I think, as a public figure, I wish to achieve that,” said the actor, talking about how Salman treats everyone with the same respect – whether it’s the director or a spot boy. It’s not easy to see why Salman Khan is Mr. Congeniality.

SWARA BHASKER: HATERS GONNA HATE

She’s pretty much the most talkedabout celebrity out there currently– and why shouldn’t she be? Swara Bhasker always has something to say, but full props to her for always taking it on the chin and giving it back to internet trolls.

The latest uproar around the actor seems to be about her masturbation sequence in the recently released Veere di Wedding. She responded, “I have been targeted by paid trolling in the past and I’m used to it. Many twitter-

users and some prominent comedians and commentators have turned the ‘I took my Grandmother to watch VDW’ into very funny satirical comments. I’m grateful both for their support and their humour.”

She also said that she prefers to ignore people who are petty, hypocritical or those who slut-shame. “Currently I am ignoring these people and feeling very happy with the rest of the team of ‘Veere Di Wedding’ about the success of the film.”

You go, girl!

VEERE DI WEDDING: NEXT BIG THING?

Veere di Wedding was possibly one of the most highly-anticipated films of this year, and although it’s too soon to tell whether it’s a commercial hit, one thing is for sure: everyone’s talking about it. Whether it was Bebo’s return to the big screen after turning mum, Sonam Kapoor Ahuja’s return after her wedding or Swara Bhasker’s drastically different character from her usuals, everyone was curious about it. Producer Rhea Kapoor, in fact, believes that it has the potential to break the glass ceiling.

“Calling the film a chick flick would put it in a bracket. At a juncture where we are trying to break away from labels, it’s high time we had a film that doesn’t judge women and at the same time is aspirational,” Rhea said.

Yes to that, Rhea. Our recent review, however, suggested that it’s a fun film to watch with your girlfriends, but misses some much-needed depth in some places. So it may not be a chick flick exactly, but… glass ceiling? Ho-hum.

SUSHANT SINGH RAJPUT: THE REAL BAAZIGAR

We all know that dialogue, don’t we?

Haar ke baazi jeetne wale ko baazigar kehte hain. Well, guess who loves to fail? Sushant Singh Rajput, that’s who!

Ok, not exactly. Apparently, Sushant loves to take up roles that he thinks he’ll fail. Why? “It becomes like a challenge for me to outdo myself. My philosophy of success in life is to find different ways of failing, I would fail three to four times but the fifth time when I succeed it would be my personal experience, it would help me emerge as a person,” says the actor.

Well, perhaps there’s some logic to this.

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AMITABH BACHCHAN

SWARA BHASKER

After all, he’s had to really work for his career – his films like Kai Po Che! and M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story didn’t really break the box office (they did get him plenty of critical acclaim, though).

“Bollywood has taught me a lot, mostly that failure is just a way of pushing myself to do more and more and better myself with every new project that comes my way,” he said.

And one can’t deny it, the lad’s getting better with every film he does.

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT

Ask Big B and he will tell you, the state of the nation, er industry, is strong.

He’s talking about the film business of course. And the rest of the industry wallahs, as well as the rest of the nation, will take his word at face value.

In a recent blog entry, the 75-yearold cine icon ruminated about current trends, and gave it all a considered highfive.

“Story telling is so impressive these days that never before has there been such an acceptance to the variety of films being made today,” he wrote.

There are large budgeted films, small films, fantasy films and real films, he listed, and observed that they all have a value at the box-office.

The audience has matured, he said, having developed a discerning attitude towards good and bad films, and are not afraid to express themselves “in

volumes”.

As for the current crop of film-makers, “Competition is strong, (processes) are tedious, and the creative ideas are the very best.”

He concluded, “A moment of pride in our little world - a world that has always been the horse to be whipped but we are a strong world and we shall continue to survive and fight.”

He should know. At his age, he has just come off a major hit 102 Not Out and is working on two other big ones, Ayan Mukherjee’s Brahmastra and a Sujoy Ghosh project.

We hear you, Amitji.

NAMASTE, INDIA: YELLOW WIGGLE GREG PAGE

Yellow Entertainment, the company of Wiggles founder Greg Page will soon be producing kids’ entertainment in India. In a partnership with India’s Toonz Media Group, it will co-develop and coproduce a preschool animated series for global distribution.

Yellow Entertainment will handle preproduction, including IP creation, scripts, and music, while Toonz will lead all other aspects of production.

Headquartered in Technopark in Thiruvananthapuram, Toonz, through its state-of-the-art animation studio, has produced numerous successful kids and family entertainment brands through its global production partnerships with companies including Disney, Turner,

WHO WORE IT BETTER?

WORTH WAITING FOR? YOU DECIDE!

Haathi Mere Saathi, an animal drama featuring Rana Daggubati, Pulkit Samrat, Vishnu Vishal, Zoya Hussein and Kalki Koechlin, is currently in production The film is a trilingual, filmed simultaneously in Hindi, Tamil (as Kaadan) and in Telugu (as Aranya). A different cast features across languages.

The movie highlights man-animal relationship is a story inspired by true events and a tribute to 1971 classic film Haathi Mere Saathi starring Rajesh Khanna and Tanuja.

“The movie brings me back to one of my favourite subjects – elephants,” director Prabhu Solomon said about the film.

The film is currently on location in Thailand and Kerala.

Meanwhile, director Sujoy Ghosh reunites the Pink pairing of Tapsee Pannu and Amitabh Bachchan again in his tentatively titled Badlaa. Apparently a murder mystery, it was meant to have had the Ghosh favourite Vidya Balan in it…. Oh, and a second major male lead, possibly Naseeruddin Shah!

ON TWITTER THIS WEEK

Match the stars to their tweets: Salman Khan, Karan Johar, Swara Bhasker, Farhan Akhtar There are heroes in this film. They are female. It’s unfortunate that the word ‘hero’ evolved to be masculine given that it’s actually gender neutral.

N this is my childhood frnd Iqbal, as a teen he was my bank, I still owe him 2011rs . thnk God he did not take interest.

KANGANA RANAUT or SKAI JACKSON in DIOR

My regard for & goodwill towards the people of #Pakistan remains unchanged. Some of my closest friends are Pakistani. Lahore remains one of my soul cities.

Facebook page /IndianLinkAustralia

Love you so much Dugu!!!! You will always be so special to me in so many ways! I have the best memories of our times together specially on the sets of K3G !

Share your views + with us on our

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Nickelodeon, Sony, Universal, BBC, and Paramount.

Here’s hoping some wonderful stuff comes out of the collaboration.

Caption this photo of SWARA, SONAM and SHIKHA! Send your response to: media@indianlink.com.au TO WIN A MOVIE TICKET!!

LAST ISSUE CAPTION CONTEST WINNER

What’s the chit-chat here between SONAM KAPOOR & KAREENA KAPOOR Kareena: Poor Swara, our Veere is taking all the hits but our movie is super hit!! Phew! We are Saif...I mean Safe.

Sonam: Yes, Anand hi Anand!

By Shalini Singh Congrats, Shalini!

You win a movie ticket!

JUNE (1) 2018 43

BACKCHAT

Just my cuppa tea

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Doesn’t the girl know how to make tea?” asked the boy’s mother, taking the cup from Meera’s mum.

Meera smiled sweetly. “No, but I make a kick-ass Long Island Iced Tea, aunty.

Would you like that?”

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